Undercover
by LauraADon
Summary: Santana is a detective in New York City and goes undercover in an effort to get evidence on a group that has been causing trouble in her district. She has to get in with a drug ring where she learns information on all the illegal activities that the group are involved in. There's a blonde woman that starts to cause problems with her cover. Brittana. Crime and Romance. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Santana is a detective in New York City and goes undercover in an effort to get evidence on a group that has been causing trouble in her district. She has to get in with a drug ring where she learns information on all the illegal activities that the group are involved in. There's a blonde woman that starts to cause problems with her cover. Brittana. Crime and Romance. AU. Rated M for violence, drugs, drug use, language, sexual content.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

It's dark outside. The middle of the night. I walk down a poorly lit street somewhere in New York City wearing grey skinny jeans, sneakers, and a black hooded sweatshirt. Rather common casual wear. Not too flashy and won't draw any unwanted attention. Perfect for what I'm doing.

I spot the person I believe I'm looking for standing in the doorway of one of the shops on the street. It's closed for the night and all employees have gone for the day. There are two other people walking down the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. I slow down until they pass by me. I look over my shoulder to make sure they continued walking and pay me no attention.

I walk down to the end of the block. The closer I get to the person I realize that it is, in fact, who I'm in search of. I approach the girl- she can't be older then seventeen or eighteen.

"Whatdaya got?" I ask the girl in a hushed tone. The girl stands in the shop entrance wearing a similar outfit to mine. A pair of jeans, small heels, and a leather jacket.

"Dependents." The girl says and stares me up and down. Probably judging if she can trust me or not. Or maybe trying to figure out if I'm a cop or not. "Who's asking?"

This is where a little lie and a little bit of convincing come into play. "Eva. I just need something. Can ya help me out or not?" I bounce on the balls of my feet, hoping to seem anxious, like I need a fix. This isn't second nature to me so it a tad bit nerve-wracking.

"Tonight I got coke, a lil bit of pot, and pills. Whatcha lookin' for?" The girl says with a crooked smile.

"Coke." I say bluntly.

"I can hook ya up." The girl reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out a handful of little sandwich bags of white powder. "Is this what you're lookin' fer?"

I nod. Just what I was looking for. "Wow." I eye the large amount of cocaine the girl has just produced from her pocket. "Yes. Were'd you get all that?" I ask the girl as casually as possible. I don't want to seem suspicious in any way. Curious but not suspicious.

"My boss. He runs a big operation. I gotta get rid of all this before dawn." The girl says casually. "But ya didn't hear that from me." She gives me that crooked grin again.

"Gotcha." I say and hand over the money. The girl hands me a little baggy of white powder. "Thanks." I say and turn away from the girl. I walk across the street and then back in the direction that I came.

* * *

Once back at the tiny, studio apartment I stash the bag in the top draw of my dresser for safe keeping. It's one of the few things in the apartment. There's a bed and a dresser. On the opposite wall is a countertop that is considered the kitchen. It's just a sink and counter space. In the corner is the bathroom. It's pretty straight forward. It's not very nice but that's the point.

When one goes undercover they want to assimilate to the world that they are undercover in. That means, in this case, a small, rundown, studio apartment.

I flop down on the bed after hiding the drugs. I have no intent of using them, obviously. The purpose is to purchase them and get information on the seller and who they are selling for. I'm tired after spending the day staking out the suspected drug house, then following the girl that I bought the drug from to her selling location and purchasing the drugs. It was a long, exhausting day with little work to show for.

I take a little solace in the comfortable bed that, at least, the department purchased for me for my undercover apartment. Tomorrow is another day of surveillance and staking out the drug house. Trying to gather as much information as possible for the case. Sleep is key to good undercover work. I have to be on my toes all the time or something could go horribly wrong.

* * *

Two days pass before I head out again to get more drugs. I put on a pair of sneakers, cargo pants, and a button down plaid shirt. I make the journey, at dusk, to the same spot that I got the drugs from the other day.

Like clockwork the girl is standing there. Almost as if she is waiting for me to show up. The girl spots me when I am about fifteen feet away. She waves. The girl actually waves to me like we are friends.

"Hey, you're back. Eva, right?" The girl says with a grin.

"Right. You got a name?" I ask. I can play this to my advantage. If she thinks we are friends or acquaintances or whatever I can use that against her.

"Yeah." She scoffs. "Name's Sugar."

Santana laughs. Of course her name is Sugar. "Are you a drug dealer or a hooker?"

"I can be whatever you want me to be." Sugar says with a seductive wink. I take in this new information. "Your back awful soon. Need more coke?" She asks me.

My initial plan was to buy more and more coke from her, earn her trust, and get into her ring. But, it seems that this girl is all to willing to do whatever I say. "Actually, I was wondering where you get that stuff from?" This Sugar girl seems like she isn't the brightest when it comes to revealing information. I gonna need to add to my story. "I sell it to some of my friends and was thinking of getting into the business."

"Oh." She seems to think over my words for a few seconds. I wait in silence for her to say something more. "I actually can't tell ya who I get it from but-"

"But what?" I prompt. She seems leery about something and I am curious as to what it is.

"But- I could talk to my boss 'n' see what he says. Maybe I could get ya a meetin' with him."

"Really?" I say trying to sound excited about the possible opportunity to meet with her drug boss. "That would be awesome. If you could get me a meeting I would totally owe you one."

"Yeah, I don't know. He doesn't usually take in new people unless he knows 'em. But- I think a could sweet talk him." Sugar tells me with a wink. It makes me unease and I'm pretty sure I know what seem means when she says 'sweet talk him' and it makes me want to throw up.

"Great." I say with a fake smile. This operation might be easier getting into than I originally thought. "And I'll take two bags today." I tell her and pull out my money. If I'm gonna be 'selling drugs' to my 'friends' then I need to make it seems like I actually am. I can't just keep buying drugs every couple of days with her thinking I'm the one using them all. It needs to be believable. This needs to be as real and accurate as possible.

I look around the area but the street is empty. Discreetly, we make the exchange. "Will ya be around tomorrow?" I need to know when to check back in with her. I need to know soon if I can get a meeting with her boss.

Drug dealer, Sugar, shakes her head. "Nope. I'm only here Mondays n Wednesdays."

"Oh, should I come back next Monday?" I don't know what the protocol for this is. I've only been undercover for less than two weeks. I've only bought drugs three times, twice from this Sugar girl.

"Ya can do that- or I can let ya know where I'll be tomorra night." She looks around us again. But, there's still nobody around.

"Where will ya be tomorrow?" I ask in a whisper. Sugar takes a step closer to me and wraps her hand around my right bicep. She leans into my ear and whisper the intersection where she'll be at tomorrow night. I nod. "I know where that is." I confirm.

"Good, see ya tomorra night." She steps away from me, releasing my arm. She looks me up and down and then winks at me.

A shiver runs down my spine. She's seems like an alright girl. A little naive, and a little creepy. I wonder how she got into the drug world. I wonder what kind of home she came from and if she maybe ran away from that home.

I turn from her, waving over my shoulder. With a plan to meet up with Sugar tomorrow night and find out my possible future in the drug ring, I wave to her and nod my head. A silent goodbye.

I walk back to my studio apartment thinking about the next twenty-four hours and planning my day for tomorrow. I should do more surveillance on the drug house but I don't want anyone possibly seeing me hanging around that street if I am going to get a meeting with the drug boss.

Hopefully, everything goes well with Sugar and asking her boss. Hopefully, he agrees to meet me. That really hinges on the speed of this undercover operation. The sooner I can get in there, the better.

* * *

I spent the whole day inside my tiny apartment. I thought about what I wanted to happen going forward with this operation. A lot depends on what happens tonight when I meet Sugar.

It's ten-thirty when I leave the apartment for the night. I walk the thirty some blocks to the location that Sugar told me to meet her at. I really hope this goes well cuz if it doesn't I will have to rethink my plans to get into this ring. I need to get in there somehow. This possible meeting is my best shot and if that doesn't work I will have to come up with something else.

Sugar is about a block away from me when I spot her. She is sitting on a bus station bench. She looks like she is waiting to get on the bus when it stops. I know that's not what she is doing though.

I walk over and sit down on the bench about a foot away from her making it seem like I don't know her, but I'm still close enough to have a conversation with her without anyone else hearing us.

This spot is a little more busy than the spot I've met her at the two previous times. People walk behind the bench every minute or two. It's a more highly populated area with more people and more foot traffic. And more of a chance of getting caught by the police.

"So, what's the news?" I ask her quietly. I keep my hands stuffed in my pockets to ward off the chilly fall air.

"My boss agreed to a meetin' with ya."

"Great." I turn my head to my right to glance at Sugar. She keeps staring forward as if I wasn't even here, as if she wasn't talking to me.

"The only catch is that ya have to go tomorra night." Sugar whispers into the night air.

"What does that mean?" I'm not sure how this is suppose to work. Do I just show up at the drug house? No, wait, they can't know that I know where it is.

"It means-" Sugar turns to look at me. "-that you will meet me right here tomorra night and we will go from there. Ten pm."

"Got it." I mumble and Sugar turns back to staring straight ahead. I stare straight ahead too. I wait a few minutes before I get up from the bench and start walking back to my studio apartment.

* * *

2 weeks earlier

"_Lopez. In my office now." The police captain shouts into the precinct. "You too, Puckerman."_

_I look around the large room nervously. I don't think I did anything wrong? I can't be in trouble. I stand from my desk chair and walk through the precinct to the captain's office. Noah Puckerman meets me at the door and motions for me to enter before him._

_Noah, or Puck as he likes to be called, steps into the room behind me and shuts the door sealing us in the little room with our captain._

"_Can I ask what this is about, Captain?" I ask unsure as to what this impromptu meeting is about._

"_Yes, Lopez." The captain looks between me and Puckerman. "I have good news and bad news."_

"_Okay." I say wearily._

"_You're going undercover." The captain informs us._

"_Both of us?" I ask. This is definitely news._

"_No. Just you Lopez. I've discussed this with Puckerman and we feel that it's best if you go undercover and not him."_

"_I'm sorry, sir, but I'm a little confused."_

"_Noah has a case, a big case, but we need some extra evidence before we can bring our suspects in. He has been investigating this case for a couple months now but can't get the evidence he needs. We need you to go undercover and get what we need."_

"_Why can't he do it?" I ask. I am one hundred percent committed to my job but I'm a little uneasy about going undercover without knowing what the mission is. It's not even my case. I don't know anything about it._

"_Because he has already had some contact with some of the suspects. We need somebody to go in there that they don't recognize. Are you willing to do this for us? This will be a big bust for this precinct."_

"_Yes, sir." I nod confidently. It's been awhile since I've done an undercover operation but I'm more than willing to do it._

"_Alright, great. Puckerman will fill you in on all you need to know. He will be your contact throughout this operation." The captain tells me with a nod of his head. "Make me proud, Lopez."_

* * *

I'm walking down the street. It's dark just like any other night but something feels different about tonight. I can't put my finger on it but something is definitely different. It puts a little extra caution in each step I take.

After crossing a street, I look down to check my wristwatch. 9:55. There are still a few blocks to go. I'm on time as far as my calculations go. I have to be on time. I can't be late and miss this meeting. This is my chance, possibly my only chance. I need to nail this.

The next few blocks go by in a blur and before I know it I am standing next to Sugar the drug dealer next to the bench that was sat on the previous night. I don't know why she isn't sitting. We could sit, I don't see the harm in that. I'm not sure what I am suppose to say. _Hello? Now what?_ I just don't know. Instead I step up to the bench and take a sit on it.

"Get up." Sugar says in a low rumble. I snap my head to look at her but like last night she is staring straight ahead.

Without another word I obey her order. "Are you gonna take me to the meetin'?" I ask after many uncomfortable moments of silence. This girl was all bubbly and welcoming and talkative with me the other times I've come in contact with her but now she's silent like one of those British guards.

Sugar doesn't respond. I watch her out of the corner of my eye. Every few seconds she looks up and down the street. It's making me nervous. Maybe I've done the wrong thing and gotten myself in too deep.

A few minutes pass and Sugar checks her watch and then looks down the street again. I follow her movements with my eyes. Looking in the same direction as she is. I see a car coming down the street with it's front headlights blacked out. I know that this vehicle is the car that will take me to my destination.

The black car with tinted windows - that I know just by looking at them that they are too dark and illegal - pulls up to the curb and comes to an abrupt halt directly in front of Sugar and I.

Sugar takes a step forward and I follow her lead. The back door swings open and a big beefy guy steps out. Before I can do anything he puts a large hand around my upper arm and yanks. I stumble forward and he pulls me into the car. The door slams behind me and I here another door close too.

"Hey." I yelp. I don't know who this guy is or why he has to be so rough with me. But as the seconds pass and my brain catches up with what's happen I realize it's probably just his job.

He shoves me face first into the seat and then grabs both my arms, clasping my hand together behind my back. I feel the coarse, itchiness of the rope as it's wound around my wrists. It's too tight, of course.

Internally I am panicking but I can't let that show. Well, maybe a little but not full on hysteria. Worrying that this might not have been a good idea and what did I get myself into. Wondering if this is how I'm gonna die.

The bag or maybe pillowcase goes over my head next. The big guy pulls me into a sitting position and shoves it over my head. Everything goes dark, which is most likely the point.

"Ready." The guy that's in the backseat with me grunts. The car starts moving and I have no idea where we are headed.

The panic gets the best of me. "What's happening?" I ask hoping that the occupants of the car don't hear the panic in my voice. I need to sound normal, confident even.

It's Sugar's voice that responds to my question. "It's fer your own good." Her voice sounds like it's coming from the front seat. That must have been the other door that I heard. Sugar must have gotten in the front seat of the car when it pulled up to the curb. "If the boss doesn't like ya, he will release ya somewhere far 'way from the house so ya don't know where it is and ya can't tell anyone where it is." It's quiet for a moment before her voice fills the car again. "It's for his protection, too."

"Oh." I whisper and I don't know if she hears me. I don't really want anyone to hear me but it just sort of slipped out. I stop struggling against the rope at my wrist and resign myself to the covering over my head. It smells bad though and I think it must be a pillowcase, a used pillowcase, old and stinky. I start breathing through my mouth instead of my nose.

Sugar is right. All of this, the pillowcase and the rope, are because her boss doesn't want me to know the location of the drug house. He doesn't want anyone ratting out the location to the police. That's the best part cuz, well, I am the police. But, none of these people know that and they're not gonna find out.

The car drives around for a long time after it picked Sugar and I up. Probably a diversion. My estimation would say that we've been driving around for a half hour. The odds are that the drug house isn't all that far from where Sugar's spot on that bench was but that they are making it seem farther away and confusion the directions so I can't trace it back from where they picked Sugar and I up.

We finally come stop a stop. One of the car doors open and I can hear the sound of a garage door. Probably closing. The back car door opens. I can tell because it gets lighter in the back seat. The guy in the back with me tugs on my right arm and manhandles me across the seat and out the door.

"Stand." He commands. I manage to get my feet underneath me after a couple of seconds. Once I get my feet he is tugging on my arm again. There will probably be a bruise there tomorrow from his harsh grip.

"Hey buddy, take it easy." I growl at him. In my opinion there is no need to be so rough. It's not like I'm resisting.

I hear him huff out a breath but I doesn't verbally speak any words. He leads me forward, through what I assume is a garage, my eyes still obscured. After a few steps I trip into something. "Stairs." The rough voice of my man handler says.

I manage to half walk up the stairs but he mostly just drags me up them. There's nothing I can do. I can't complain. He isn't gonna be any easier on me. He isn't gonna be nice all of a sudden. I'm not gonna get any sympathy from this guy. He's a thug.

There aren't anymore stairs, the floor is flat again. The sound of the door slamming shut behind me rings in my ears.

We come to a stop and another male voice enters my ears. "Who do we have here?"

Sugar's voice rings again. It calms me a little to know that she is still here with me. She is the one to lead me here and I feel fairly safe with her. Hopefully, she won't let anything bad happen to me.

"This is the girl I was tellin' ya 'bout. Her name's Eva. She's interested in sellin' for ya." Sugar explains pretty much everything that there is that needs to be explained.

"Uncover her face." The man, the boss, commands. My man handler rips the pillowcase from my head unceremoniously. I have to squint my eyes at the sudden intrusion of light. It's not bright in the room, at least, it's just that the pillowcase was so dark.

Without moving too much and trying not to turn my head from side to side I get a look around the room. It's not very big, maybe twenty feet by twenty feet. It's dimly lit and smoky.

To my right I can see Sugar standing. The man handler is on my left with one of his giant hands on my arm anchoring me to him. Directly in front of me, and across the room sit a man. He looks like he has light brown or maybe a reddish tint to his hair but it's hard to tell with the darkest of the room and my distance from him. I can't see the color of his eyes or any other distinguishing features. He looks older though, forty to fifty age range probably.

There is one other person in the room. A girl, no, she's older than Sugar. A woman. Maybe in between Sugar's age and mine. She sits at the side of the room, closer to where the three of us stand. She has long blonde hair and very distinct features. Her eyes look to be either blue or gray but I can't tell for sure from this distance. She's a very good looking woman.

The boss sits there with a smug look on his face, smoking a cigar. "So, Eva, you want to work for me."

"Yes, sir." I nod for good measure.

"And what is it that you think you are going to do for me?" When he speaks he sounds intelligent. Like he finished high school at the very least and possibly attended some amount of college. He speaks in full words and sentences.

I figure sounding intelligent myself could help make my case with him. "I was hoping to get in the sales side of your business, sir."

"I see." He rolls his cigar between his fingers slowly. It's intimidating.

"I very some friends that I was buying for." I'm not sure if I should mention that I bought from Sugar or not. I don't. He can put the pieces together himself. "I think I could really help you out. They are regular users and I figured I could sell to them at first and then expand from there."

"Do you have a job?"

Shit. What do I tell him? Of course I don't have a job. Not the kind of job he is talking about at least. Do I tell him that I do or make you up on the spot? "I don't, sir. That's another reason I was hoping that you would take me on."

"I see." He smirks. It's silent after that. I'm not sure if I should say anything more. My gut is telling me not to. I've said all that I had planned on saying. I've given him my sales pitch on myself now it's he's turn to decided if he wants to make use of me or not. "I don't usually take on people I don't know or trust."

"I understand that, sir. I'm really hoping you can take me on though. I could use the money." I plead.

"Right." The boss stands from his seat. I feel my eyes get a little wider as he approaches me. My nerves increase and I am sweating bullets under my leather jacket. He comes up to me, taking a puff of his cigar and blowing the smoke in my face. I struggle not to cough as the smoke enters through my nose. He eyes me up and down from up close. He circles around me and returns to stand in front of me. "Pat her down." He grumbles, puffing his cigar.

My man handler lets go of my arm and stands behind me. I tense as he puts his hands on my shoulders and runs them down over the sleeves of my jacket. Next, his hands travel down the outsides of my legs all the way to my shoes. On the way back up he runs his big, clumsy hands up the insides of my legs. I force myself not to squeeze my legs shut at the intrusion once he reaches my upper thigh. He removes his hands from me and comes around to my front. The boss takes a step back to allow the thug more room to work. He then unzips my jacket, putting her grubby hands on my hips and running them up my sides over my ribs, up to my armpits, grazing the sides of my boobs as he goes.

I try not to look at anyone during the whole search but my eyes slide over to the side of the room where the blonde sits. She's still. Her back rigid in her chair. Her eyes wide in shock but otherwise the same as when I first saw her.

The man handler step to my left side again. He takes each of his hands and runs one down my front and the other down the length of my spine. I shiver as his giant hand brushes over my chest but from disgust not pleasure.

"All clear, sir." The thug grunts.

The drug boss nods. "Good. You look like I can trust you. Sugar here, told me that I should bring you on and that you seemed like a trustworthy person. I hope I am right about that. Here's what's going to happen. You are going to report here every other day, starting tomorrow, at noon. I will give you an assignment for the day. We'll see how things go in the first week or two. I haven't taken anyone new in a couple of years. Don't make me regret my decision."

"I won't, sir." I tell him with a nod. It's all an act and I want to laugh because this guy obviously has no idea who I really am. Maybe after I am done with this undercover operation I should think about a career in acting. I'm obviously good enough to fool his guy. I played a part and it's paying off.

"One more thing. I need ID."

"It's in my back pocket." I say. This is the last test that I will have to pass. I have a fake ID that the department made. It's as real as any real identification out there. It has to be.

The man handler reaches in my back pocket and pulls out it's contents. My ID and some cash. He hands it to the boss who takes it and looks it over carefully. He looks from my ID card to me and I give him a big smile. He shakes his head and smiles back at me. He hands the card back to my man handler.

"Untie her, Karofsky." So he does have a name. A last name but a name none the less. He goes to work on the rope at me wrists. As soon as I'm untied I bring my hands around to my front and rub at the now sore spots on my wrists. That will probably hurt tomorrow too.

I look around the room more freely now. It's drab. The wall have wood paneling and there is only one light in the room, it hangs from the ceiling in the center of the room not throwing any light to the far corner of the room. There are a number of folding chairs scattered around the room and two card tables. There's the bosses chair at the front of the room which is much nicer than a folding chair. It actually looks like a throne in comparison.

"You can go now." The bosses voice makes me flinch. I survey the room once more. I catch the eyes of the woman at the side. I have no idea who she is. She hasn't been identified to me today and I haven't heard anything about her in any of Puck's case work. The only thing that I knew from Puck was the location of this place and that drugs came in and out of here. The woman gives me a tight-lipped smile. Something about her makes me feel like she doesn't belong here. I don't smile back. I don't know who she is or if she could be dangerous.

I spin around on my heels and make to leave. When I reach the door a voice stops me. "I'll see you tomorrow, Eva." The drug boss says in a deep voice. Deeper than his usual speaking voice. It makes me uneasy. I grab the doorknob with my left hand and pull it open.

It leads me to the garage where I see the car that brought me here. I look for the side door before going over and exiting the building. From the outside it looks like just a regular old house. But, it's obvious to me that they have made some modification from just being in that one room.

Stepping out into the night air gives me a chill. I zip my coat before stuffing my clammy hands into my coat pockets. I have no idea what time it is and right now I don't care. I just want to get back to my tiny apartment, wash the day off of my skin, and climb into bed.

Tomorrow will be the next test in my operation. I'm in now. I just have to make sure that I do everything right and stay in. I am also going to have to contact Puckerman sometime in the near future to let him now how it's going and to ask for more money.

I can think about all of that tomorrow though. Right now all I want is a shower and a warm, comfy bed where I can get a good nights sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I got up at ten. The night before I set my alarm for ten to give myself enough time to shower, get dressed, eat, and make my way over to the drug house.

I'm nervous about how this first day is gonna go. I need to be sharp. I need to be on my best game both as a potential drug dealer and as an undercover detective. This might be one of the most important parts of the whole undercover investigation. Getting into the ring to get the inside information that I need all hinges on my 'skills' in the next few hours and even days. I need to be accepted by these people and pulled into their group.

The trek from my studio apartment to the drug house is about twenty minutes on foot. I made sure that I left my apartment with enough time and as I approach the house I look down at my watch and see that I am four minutes early. Promptness can only be a plus in this situation.

I walk up the sidewalk to the front door. I know I can't enter the way that I exited the last time I was here. The thought passes my mind that there might be some password or code that I need to know. But I wasn't told any code so I seriously hope that's not the case.

I knock three times on the thick wooden front door of the house. I look around the neighborhood while I wait for someone to answer the door or for further instruction. It seems like an alright neighborhood but it's definitely not Fifth Avenue. Some of the house are rundown and in need of some upgrades. I don't know how the crime is in the neighborhood, obviously, apart from the house I am standing in front of.

A noise alerts me back to the front door. I look up at the door and a little slot in the door is now open. Two squinting eyes look out at me. I'm not sure if I should say who I am or maybe smile at the person on the other side of the door. A second passes before the eyes pull back and the little slot closes.

The door opens revealing who the eyes belong to. Karofsky. He motions for me to enter the building quickly with a wave of two of his fingers. He doesn't say anything to me and I'm finding out that he is a man of few words. I'm okay with that. We don't need to have any conversation. I have a feeling that he wouldn't freely divulge information about his boss or what he does or the drug house anyway.

When I step inside he closes the door behind me and then ushers me down the short hallway that we are now in. It's strange. I thought that maybe I had an idea of how the house was laid out after my visit the other day but I was wrong. The small hallway seems to come to a dead end. There is a door on the left at the end of the hallway but that's all I can see.

Karofsky steps in front of me and somehow, by a series of hand movements and pushes against the wall, makes it open up. A opening forms in the wall. On the other side of the 'door' is the room that I was in the other day. The room with the chairs, and the card tables, and the throne where the boss sat. I didn't even know there was another way into the room. From the quick look around it the other day I would have never known. I figured there was one way in and one way out, through the garage door. This hidden door in the wall. It's impressive.

I step inside and the thug Karofsky closes the 'door' behind me. I glance around the room quickly. Sugar is here.

"Hey, Eva. How've ya been?" She asks almost immediately.

I shrug. "Okay." I scan the room more carefully now. It's just her and the same items that were in the room the other day. It's less smoky but still dimly lit. "I didn't sleep too great last night. But, I think that's cuz I was nervous about today." I lie. I slept great last night. Even though my apartment is tiny and not in the greatest neighbor my bed is warm and comfortable. I was able to clear my mind and slept like a log.

"Ya shouldn't be nervous. It'll all go fine. Actually, I think that's why I'm here." She smiles at me and it draws me to her.

I walk across the room to where Sugar is sitting at one of the card tables and take a seat next to her. "Why do ya say that?" I ask curiously. This might be the first time I can get any information persistent to this operation.

"Danny doesn't usually have me come in this early." She explains. I tilt my head to the side. Danny? I give her my best confused look. It's not fake, I really am confused as to who Danny is. She must see it too cuz she continues. "Danny is my boss, well, our boss now I guess."

Ah ha. Now I have a first name for the drug boss. I just need a last name now. The greedy, need information now, part of me wants to ask Sugar right now what his last name is. But, that might come across as suspicious. I can't be perceived as suspicious by anyone or this mission will be over before really even started.

"Oh. Right." I say coyly with an added nod of the head. "So, what do you think will happen today. Like, what might we do?" I ask, trying to keep a conversation going with this girl. She seems airy and aloof but not stupid. I'm sure she knows the protocol and what usually happens around here. She was the new girl once, right?

"Prolly boring fuckin' shit. Rules, prices, sales techniques, that sort of mundane crap." Sugar rolls her eyes as she speaks. Girl sure is full of herself.

This Sugar girl seems like a odd character. She seems harmless and yet there is a quality about her that makes me not want to get too close. Like she could snap at any minute. Not necessarily that she could just up and kill a person but maybe shout and scream at them for no real reason.

A few minutes pass and I check my watch anxiously. I was here promptly just before ten but it's now almost five minutes after. A few more minutes pass before the door I left through the last night- the one that leads to the garage- opens. In walks, the boss, Danny. Behind him is another figure. The person steps through the door and I recognize them as the blonde woman from last night, the one that was sitting at the side of the room.

"Good ladies, you are here. We just went out for breakfast." Danny says with a nod towards the blonde. He walks through the room and takes a seat in his throne like chair. Instead of sitting at the side of the room, like last night, the blonde sits in a chair to the right of Danny.

I look between the two as Danny lights a cigarette. Danny pays more attention to the cancer stick between his lips than anything else in the room. The blonde is the complete opposite. As soon as she sat down it seemed like her eyes where on me. I could feel them on me so I looked over at her. Making eye contact she smiles at me. It's not like that weird closed-lipped smile from last night. This is a genuine smile. She seems warm and welcoming and she makes me want to smile back but I don't. Like before, I don't know who she is or what damage she could do. I have to be cautious around everyone, especially at first.

"Let's get started." Danny speaks up and I avert my eyes from the woman back to him. "First, come sit closer. Both of you." He points to the closest two chairs to him. I get up from my chair and move to the seat directly in front of him- about four or five feet away. Sugar takes the seat to my right.

"Alright, now, today Sugar you will be training Santana in all the things that we do here." Danny says puffing away on his cigarette.

"I knew it." Sugar grumbles. "Why do I have to do it?" She whines from my side. That doesn't seem like a smart thing to do, but hey, I'm not gonna stop her.

"Hey." Danny gets to his feet. He takes two threatening steps towards us. He stops in front of Sugar and points a stiff finger in her face. "I don't want any bitchin' from you. You are the one who brought Eva here. You are gonna be the you to show her the ropes. You are a pain in my ass but surprisingly you have the best sales out of the whole business. I don't know how you do it and I don't really care. I want you to train Eva and you will do it. Are we clear?"

I don't dare look over at Sugar or the boss while he scolds her. I can hear her swallow after he is finished talking, that's how quiet it is in the room afterwards. "Yes, sir." She whispers.

Scary.

Danny retreats and sits back down in his seat. He clears his throat before he speaks again. I look up and he is looking right at me. "This afternoon Sugar will show you the ropes. She will be your mentor. If you have any questions, go to her for the answers. She will explain how everything runs and then tonight the both of you will go out on the street."

He turns his attention back to Sugar and I release the breath that I was holding. "Sugar will do all of the selling and Eva will stand by and watch how a proper deal should go down. At the end of the night you are free to go home. Easy as that." He rubs his hands together, satisfied with himself.

"Eva, you will come back in two days. 'Round six in the evening, say. We will go over a few things. Just you and me. Sugar you can resume your regular schedule starting tomorrow. I hope you are both good with this plan. I think it's pretty flawless myself." He smirks.

I know he's no good. He's a drug boss, among other things, but he also seems to be a smug prick. But, I must grin and bear it, as they say. I have a mission and I need to come through with it.

"Sounds good to me." I make my voice known. I don't want the guy to think I'm afraid of him or anything. I know when to say something and when to hold my tongue.

"Yep." Sugar agrees.

"Great." Danny says with more enthusiasm then he needs. He stands and move through the room exiting through the door to the garage. I wonder where he is going and what he does with his day. I wonder if he has more meetings or if he has other illegal activities to tend to.

As he leaves I get a better look at his features. As I suspected, his hair does have a reddish tint to it. I didn't see into his eyes though, not that I want to but I know I could definitely identify him in a line up. That's the first step.

The door shuts with a slam causing the wall that holds the door to shake. I look around the dim room hoping it doesn't cave in on us. It seems like an okay structure but you never know. This room is obviously a secret room so it could have been constructed poorly.

I'm ready to get to work when my eyes stop on something. I frown. Why didn't she leave when Danny left? The blonde sits unmoving from her seat.

"Let's get this shitfest started." Sugar grumbles. She rises from her folding chair and goes over to one of the two card tables.

I don't move from my seat though. My eyes are trained on the blonde at the front of the room. She seems like she is content to just sit there. Doesn't she have better things to do? Go out and sell some drugs, maybe? She looks at me, her eyes glued to me, but she won't make eye contact with me.

"What about her?" I ask Sugar, keeping my focus on the woman.

Sugar chuckles darkly. "Don't mind her. That's just Brittany. Let's get goin'?"

Brittany. I squint my eyes, taking in her appearance and presence more closely. Brittany. The name seems to fit the girl. With her blonde hair and cat-like blue eyes.

"Eva." Sugar shouts. I jump up from my chair and go over to the card table where she has a bunch of stuff set out. Working for the police department I recognize nearly all of the items on the table. Drugs. Drug paraphernalia. Glass pipes. Scales for weighing. Clear plastic sandwich bags. Prescription pill bottles. A tiny mirror. Basically, you name it, Sugar has it.

"Where'd ya get all this?" I ask more out of curiosity than detective work.

"That's for me ta know and for ya not ta worry 'bout." She smirks.

Guess I won't be finding out the answer to that one today.

Sugar shows me everything that she thinks I need to know. Which is a lot. A lot more than I thought. There are a lot of numbers to remember. Prices. Then there are the house rules.

The whole time Sugar and I work the Brittany girl sits there and watches. I look over at the girl a couple of times just to see what she is doing. She doesn't say a single word while we are all in the room. She just sits in her chair and watches as Sugar shows me what to do and not do. A couple of times when I look over I catch her watching us. Our eyes meet but she always looks away immediately.

She's very interesting. Mostly I want to know what she is doing here. Just sitting. Watching. What is her purpose? What role does she pay in Danny's world?

* * *

I leave the apartment with one goal in mind. Contact Puckerman. I can't just pick up any old phone and call him up. It needs to be as untraceable as possible. I don't have a landline in the apartment for the simply fact that I would never use it. If Danny got suspicious I'm sure he could get a hold of my phone records. I have a cell phone but I probably won't use that either. It stays at the apartment ninety-five percent of the time.

The only way to go about calling Puck is to go to a payphone. It can be traced by the police but is harder for a 'criminal' to trace. A payphone also gives me more assurance that no one has bugged the phone and is listening. And I can choose which payphone to use at random.

I walk about half a dozen blocks. I passed three payphones already but decided that they were to close to the apartment. If Danny found out where I lived, he could narrow down any payphone that I use. On the next block I spot a payphone and make the decision that that's the one I will use for this phone call. The next time I make a call to Puck, though, I will have to find a different phone.

"Answer the phone. Answer the phone. Answer the phone." I mumble as the phone rings and rings. I can't afford to keep calling him. He needs to pick up now. I can't stand at this payphone for more than two calls without bringing suspicion to myself. I'm in no mood to walk a longer distance to another payphone just to try again.

"_Hello, this is Detective Puckerman, how can I help you?" _Puck answers his phone by the department protocol. I have to roll my eyes. It's stupid. It's just me but I guess he doesn't know that.

"Jesus Christ, Puckerman. Cut the crap." I chuckle into the payphone receiver.

"_Lopez, oh my god. How are you? Are you okay? What's going on? Are you in trouble? What about the operation? Do you need-"_

"Stop." I whisper-yell into the phone. "I'm fine." I look around me cautiously. I don't need to have anyone hear me yelling into the phone. Thinking I'm crazy, or angry, or in an way bringing attention to myself. I need to be as inconspicuous as possible. If no one remembers me at the payphone, that's the best scenario.

"_Oh. Good. Where are you calling from?" _The idiot asks. For a detective Puck really is dumb sometimes.

"You know I can't tell you that."

"_I know, I just-"_

"You just, what? You know what, nevermind. We need to make this quick." I inform the man and look around me again. Checking my surrounding for anything suspicious. I don't have any reason to be so far but you can never be cautious enough when you are undercover. "I'll tell you what I got so far. I just recently got into the house you've been watching and investigating. The leaders name is Danny. I don't have a last name yet. There are a couple of other people that I met so far. One's a dealer, one's a thug, and the other I don't know what she does yet. But, I'm gonna be selling starting tomorrow, I think. And for me to pull that off I'm gonna need more money. I told Danny that I have some friends that I can sell to but that's obviously a lie. But, he doesn't know that. To pull this off I'm gonna need more money from you." I stop and lick my lips thinking if that was all I had to tell him or if there was more.

"_Okay. Good work, Lopez."_

"Don't call me that you idiot. My name is Eva Garcia. Use it." I remind him. We agreed to that name before I went undercover. He should be using it and he knows that.

"_Sorry. So, do you want to arrange an exchange or something or should I send it to you. Do you have a mailbox at your apartment?" _

"Oh, shit. I don't have a mailbox in my building. I forgot to get a PO Box too. We are going to have to make an exchange. But, I can't just met you. If I'm being monitored, which I don't think I am. Danny seems to trust me. So far. They know who you are. You said they've seen you before so you're gonna have to dress up in a disguise."

"_What? Oh, hell no. I'm not doing that." _Puck whines through the phone.

"You don't really have a choice, boy. It's either that or risk the whole operation. You need me and I need you. If you want this to work you need to disguise yourself so no one recognizes you. We can met at the coffee shop down on the corner of my block. Ten am tomorrow. After that I will set up a PO Box for any exchanges."

"_Fine." _He grumbles. Puck knows I'm right and he needs to do what I say. He wouldn't admit it though.

"Good. See ya tomorrow." I say and abruptly hang up the call. I hang the phone back on the little hook and looking around the payphone one more time before I walk back to my apartment.

* * *

I go back to the drug house the next day at six. When I reach the door I knock as I was told how by Sugar. She said knock three times in a row, wait, and then knock two more times. That's a sign for Karofsky. He knows who it is just by their knock.

The little slot slides open. I spot his eyes the second before the slot closes and the door starts to open. He ushers me inside quickly and then closes and locks the big wooden door.

"Evening." I say with a tiny, polite smile. The big thug just nods his head once. I roll my eyes and walk down the hallway to the end. He follows me which is good cuz I still don't know how he opened the secret door the other day. I have thought a lot about it in my free time and I can't figure out the sequence that Karofsky used even though I watched him do it.

When I reach the end of the hallway he steps up behind me and does his thing. It's so cool and amazing. I look on as his hands move. It doesn't seem as complex today as it did the first day. "How do you do that?" I ask. Karofsky shrugs and the secret door in the wall pops open. I'll have to ask Sugar about it the next time I see her. I wonder if he's the only one who gets to open the secret door or if at some point I will get the opportunity to learn the sequence.

Once the door closes behind me I get a chance to look around the room. It's nearly the same as the last two times I've been in it. Folding chairs litter the area. Two card tables are still sit up in the room. One of them moved from where it was before. Danny's throne chair at the front of the room hasn't moved even an inch. It's still dimly lit and reeks of smoke.

Danny sits in his chair and I worry that I am late. I look down at my wristwatch. 6:02.

"Don't worry. You're not late." Danny's voice interrupts my panic of whether or not two minutes after six is late. I raise my eyes from my wrist and glance over in his direction. "We've just gotten done with another meeting a few minutes ago." He says in explanation.

It takes a second to register who the 'we' is but when I glance to his side there sit's the woman that I know now as Brittany. She nods at me when our eyes connect. Not like the other day when every time I looked at her she would look away. I nod back before looking back to Danny. He looks on me with a smug smile. It's unnerving. Why is he smiling like that?

"Let's get started." He says. "I'm gonna give you some stuff to sell to your friends. That's how you are gonna start out. I'm not gonna drop you out there with the amount that Sugar has or anything, we will easy you into this. You seem like a smart girl, Eva. A good head on your shoulders. What is it that your friends want?"

I clear my throat. "Coke."

"Good." He stands from his seat and walks towards me. It takes all the power in me to not back away from him, even though that's what my instincts are telling me to do. "I'll tell Karofsky." Danny finally comes to a stop about a foot in front of me. He stares me down and I do my best to hold his gaze. "Now. I want all of it sold in the next forty-eight hours. I want the money exactly two days from now or else." He threatens.

"Yes, sir. Got it." I nod my understanding.

"I have to go, Eva. Have a good evening." He says and pats me on the shoulder before stepping past me. "Karofsky will be in with what you need." Danny says before he disappears from the room.

When I know for sure that the door is closed and he is gone I slump down into one of the chairs. I close my eyes and take in a deep breath in an effort to calm myself down a little. Danny is a very intimidating guy, scary even. But, I guess, that's how he does what he does. You can't be weak or a pushover if you are a drug dealer.

A noise nearly makes me fall out of my chair. I snap my eyes up to investigate. My eyes immediately land on the girl that sits across the room from me. That's when I remember that I am not alone in this room.

Brittany watches me carefully as the realization crosses my face. Obviously, I knew she was in the room when I first got here, but then Danny was talking with me and it seemed to have slipped my mind.

"Hi." I say carefully. For her part, Brittany doesn't say anything or do anything. She just sits there in her chair next to Danny's throne chair. "So, this is awkward." I mumble and rub the back of my neck with my left hand.

I'm not sure what I'm suppose to do. I have to wait for Karofsky to come and bring me my drugs, but other then that what am I suppose to do. Just sit here, I guess. But, like a said, this is awkward. Sitting here with this girl that I don't know and who seems to have absolutely no intention of speaking with me makes me uncomfortable.

Should I ask her questions and try and start a conversation? Should I just sit here and not say anything? Mind me own business. I hope Karofsky isn't long.

I still don't know what role this girl plays in this operation. I'm starting to think that she is here just to watch me. Like a designated babysitter. Maybe that's her role. She is to watch all of Danny's 'workers' and then report back to him on their behavior or if she see's them doing anything suspicious. Maybe that's the whole deal with her.

I keep an eye on her. The whole time I am looking at her she isn't looking at me. But, I know that she is watching me when I look away because when I do eventually bring my eyes back to hers she looks away. It's like a very strange game of cat and mouse.

After about fifteen minutes of this the secret door in the wall opens. I turn just in time to see Karofsky coming into the room. He has a brown paper lunch bag in one hand. I stand from my seat as he approaches me. He holds out the bag for me and I take it from him. "Thank you." I say unsure of what to say exactly.

"Forty-eight hours." He says gruffly.

I nod. And he nods. Karofsky turns and leaves the room. I look around one more time before I go. My eyes fall on the blonde girl that still sits at the front of the room. She meets my eyes and smiles.

"Bye." I turn from her and walk to the side door that leads to the garage. I'm not sure if it would be okay to go out the way I came in. I don't know the rules about that. Part of me thinks that secret door in the wall is just for entering. I've only seen anyone come into the room through that door but neither leave through it.

I reach the door to the garage and wrap my hand around the knob and pull it open. "Bye, Eva." My head swivels around at the sound of a voice that I've never heard before. My eyes are wide.

Brittany sits there with the prettiest smile on her face. It lights up her whole face. It light up the whole damn room. It's not just any old smile. It's a true, honest smile. Not fake and not like any smile I've seen from her before. Though, I've only seen two or three, but they were all the same boring, polite, sort of smile. This is different. It's like she is smiling not only with her mouth or her lips but with her eyes.

On impulse I smile back at her. She giggles and nods her head to the side, to the door. A cue, a signal, for me to leave. A nod at her and make my exit.

* * *

As I am not really selling the cocaine I need to pick an appropriate time to go back to Danny with the money. It's been twenty-four hours since I was at the drug house. But, what is the correct amount of time to pass before I return. How long would it take for the average drug dealer to get into contact with their clients and sell all of their product?

I don't want to go back too soon and have something go wrong. Danny might think that I didn't sell all the drugs or something, but I would have the money and an item bag to prove that I did. What if he thinks I'm an expert at selling and ups my amount right away. I don't need to be responsible for large amounts of drugs. That's only gonna cause problems as far as I can see.

Twenty-four hours seems to short and I don't want to wait the whole forty-eight hours. If I go in there at the last second then it seems like I can't sell the product. Middle of the road is probably the best.

* * *

When I left the apartment it was after eleven-thirty which means it's probably about noon now. I just hope that I came at the right time and that someone is here. Wouldn't that be something? If I should up with the money and no one was at the house. But, the odds of that are slim. I'm not sure about all drug houses but most of them have someone trustworthy there twenty-four, seven.

When I enter the room through the secret door in the wall Danny is there. He looks over at me when he hears me enter but goes back to talking with someone.

A young man with light brown hair stands before Danny. All I can see of the man is his back while he faces Danny. But, I do recognize something that I don't hear too often. An accent. At first I think it's British, but then the more the young man speaks the more of a listen I get and realize that it's not British but Irish.

He and Danny seems to be in some kind of argument. Danny hasn't raised his voice but when he does speak it is stern and staccato. They argue back and forth about something. I'm not sure what.

I try to eavesdrop without looking like I am. I stand in the corner and wait. The words they speak are in hushed mad tones. I hear something about missing money and revenge. Whatever it is doesn't sound good.

After a few minutes the Irish guy leaves. But, he leaves through the front of the room. By where Danny's throne chair is but to the right of the chair as you are looking at it. I hear the click of a door that I didn't know was there. I take a step forward to address Danny but I hear the same door open. In walks the blonde girl. Brittany. Did I really not know that there was a door there?

She walks in front of Danny with a quiet 'hi' and then takes a seat in her chair to his right. I eye her curiously as she gets situated in the seat. I still haven't figured out what exactly the blonde's role is in all of this. Everything that I thought of is just that, thoughts. I have no hard evidence that she does anything but sit here in this room.

Sugar sells drugs. Karofsky is the bodyguard and deals with the drugs too. Danny is obviously the boss of everything. It appears that the Irish guy that was just in the room has a role with money, possibly drugs but I need more information on that one too. I don't know what Brittany does though. She's a mystery.

There have to be more sellers and more people moving drugs that work for Danny. I just haven't met them yet. Sugar did say that her boss ran a big operation. There have to be many more people involved then the one's I've met so far.

"Eva, so nice to see you again." Danny says interrupting my thoughts.

"It's good to see you too." I say politely.

"So, what do you have for me today?" He asks with an evil, smug grin.

I reach into my leather jacket pocket and pull out the correct amount of cash for the amount of cocaine that I 'sold'. When what I really did was take the drugs and stash them in my dresser to be used later as evidence against this drug ring. I brought the amount of cash that the drugs would have sold for and that's that.

"Oh, very good. You were able to move it all?" Danny asks as he eyes the money. He wiggles his index finger at me in that 'come here' motion.

I start taking steps towards the man side-stepping a couple of chairs that are in my direct line to him. "With a little bit of hard work, yes." I inform him. I gotta make it sounds like it wasn't easy-peasy. That I had to put a little bit of effort into my selling.

"Great." He takes the money from my hand with his greedy fingers. He looks it over, unfolds the wad, and starts counting it. I knew he would. It's the correct amount, but I guess he can't be too careful.

It's quiet while he counts the bills. I look around the room aimlessly. I need something to do to pass the time. It's just about the same as the last time I was here. I few things are moved around but there is nothing new and nothing has been removed.

Once my eyes float around the rather boring room they fall back on the front of the room, more specifically, on Brittany. On that blonde hair and then to those blue eyes. Even though the room is dim and smoky it's like those blue eyes shine no matter what. They shine right through the dim and the smoke. They are the brightest, bluest thing in the room.

When she catches my eyes her lips twitch up at the corners with one of the softest smiles I think I've ever seen. I flick my eyesight from her over to Danny and then the money that he is still counting and back to Brittany. And I smile back at her.

"Eva, you've done very good." Danny's voice forces my attention back on him. He's done counting the money. "This is your cut." He holds out some of the money to me and I take it.

"Thank you, sir."

"No, thank you, Eva. For helping with my business. I will get together some more product for you. Same thing as last time. Got it?" He asks me with a raised eyebrow.

I nod. "Yes, sir."

"Good girl." He stands from his throne chair. "I'd love to sit and chat with you lovely ladies-" He rotates at the hip and looks to Brittany. He smiles at her. I'm not sure how to describe the smile. It's not slimy like I was thinking it might be or evil. It's just simple. Brittany nods. Is it some form of silent communication? It must be. "-but my lunch is waiting for me." He finishes his sentence and turns back to me. I want desperately to look over at Brittany but remain focused on Danny. He steps forward to me and sets one of his big hands on my shoulder. He stares me straight in the eye. "Eva, I think we are gonna have a great time working together." Danny says with a couple of pats to my shoulder.

"I agree." I smile and nod at him. I hope it's believable. It must be because he takes his hand off of me and turns to the front of the room.

"Later." Danny mumbles. He waves at Brittany the second before he leaves the room through the door near his throne chair.

"Bye." I say back. I hear Brittany murmur a goodbye from her spot. She doesn't make a move to follow him like I thought she might. She sits there. Like a statue.

I'm starting to think of what kind of relationship Brittany has with Danny. They don't really look like they are related but I suppose they could be. A lot of family members don't look alike. Is she his daughter? Or are they not related? Did she come to him like I did or maybe like Sugar did, even though I don't know how Sugar got here. Is she just one of Danny's employees? Or is it something else? Something more- more- sexual. Is she his girlfriend? Wife?

"What?" There's that voice. Soft, gentle, sweet. It's only the second time I've heard it and I've only heard a few words but it is nice, very nice.

I shake my head and look down at my toes. "Nothing."

"You look like you're concentrating awful hard." She says nonchalantly.

"No. It's nothing. I should go." I say and look up to her. There's that smile again.

"You can't." She says. What? She can't tell me I can't leave. I can leave if I want. Why wouldn't I be able to leave. "The coke." Brittany says. Oh, shit, right. Fuck, now I have to stay here until Karofsky brings me my stuff. I hope he isn't long. It was about fifteen minutes last time. I seriously hope it's less this time. I do know if I can sit here with Brittany for fifteen minutes in awkward silence.

"Right." I mumble and fall into the closest chair to me. I stare down at my hands in my lap, fiddling with my fingers.

There are so many things that I don't know about this girl. She is an enigma. The only thing I've seen her do is sit in this room. Sometimes she comes in and sometimes she is already here. She doesn't say hardly anything, ever. She didn't even exchange any words with Danny when he was in the room. I haven't seen her deal with any drugs or other illegal activities.

She must know all about what happens around here, though. She must know something. She must know what sort of business happens. She gotta know the things that I want to know. The more I think about it, Brittany might just be my biggest key in this undercover operation. I bet I could get a lot of information out of the blonde. I just need to befriend her.

If I become buddies with Brittany she could tell me everything I need to know to bring down this drug ring. She is the best bet at this point.

I look up from my lap over in Brittany's direction. She is watching me. When she sees me she doesn't avoid eye contact this time. She doesn't say anything. She just smirks a little.

The secret door opens. I know it's Karofsky that has come in with my next round of product. I stand and meet him halfway. He gives me the small brown paper bag and I give him a nod and thank you smile.

Karofsky walks by me in the direction of the front of the room. I think maybe he is going over to Brittany so I turn to see. But, he doesn't, he goes out the door at the front of the room that I didn't know was there until recently. I wonder where it leads.

"It's lunch." I hear her voice again. I snap my head over to her. She nods to the door Karofsky just left out of. Putting two and two together, that must be the direction in which lunch is being served. I don't know why, but I guess, I didn't really think that anyone ate here. I know it's dumb but the cop part of me thinks that only illegal things happen in houses like this. People gotta eat and sleep too, don't they? Even drug dealers. There is probably a fully stocked kitchen and even living quarters somewhere in this house.

I nod at Brittany's words. "Bye." I tell her before I go to the door to the garage.

"Goodbye, Eva." Brittany replies. With that I open the door and leave without another word or look.

* * *

**I know there hasn't been a ton of Santana/Brittany interaction yet but hang in there. It's coming. I promise. I just got set everything up first. There's more interaction between them in chapter 3. I appreciate the favorites and follows and reviews. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Now I just have to devise a plan on how I am going to befriend Brittany. I believe she is the key to my whole operation. If I can become friends with her, or at the very least, get her to trust me, I think it will be easy to get the information I need from her.

I need to find out who that Irish guy was and what he was talking to Danny about. He didn't leave with any bags or anything that I know of. I wonder if he was there for drugs or something else. He and Danny seemed to be arguing about money. I could only hear some of their discussion but I did hear the Irish guy asking where the money was. And I think he threatened Danny too.

The Irish guy didn't seem like he was a part of Danny's crew and I have some serious concerns about that. I will have to talk to Puck soon and let him know what I know. I don't have any last names yet but if I get on Brittany's good side I hope I can get some out of her. And if I can, Puck can run the names and see what he can come up with.

That's the best plan that I have right now. It will have to do and unfortunately this looks like it's going to be a long undercover operation. It would be great if I could have just gone in, got what I needed, and got out in a few days or a week. But, I've already exceeded that and I still don't have the information I need to take this ring down.

Sure, we could get them on distribution and drug charges but that's hardly anything. We need to get them on more serious charges. Something that I know for sure will stick. Puck knows about the ring and he filled me in on the drug activity but he thinks there is something more than just drug activity. Something more serious.

Before I talk to Puck again though I should probably talk to Sugar. She seems to know a lot about what Danny does. I'm just hoping she can give me something beyond drug sales.

_Ding._

My frozen dinner is ready.

* * *

I let almost the whole forty-eight hours pass before returning to Danny's. This routine is becoming more and more familiar and also more comfortable. The first time I came to the house I was pretty scared. I'll admit it. But I think most of that was because it was unfamiliar and I didn't know anyone or anything. Now it's just something that I have to do.

Because that's my job. As an undercover detective I don't always get to do what I want. I often have to do things that I wouldn't usually do in my daily life. But, that's part of the job and I love the job. My work is my life. I strive to be the best that I can be and I do it to make the community, the city, a better place.

The steps up to the front door are the same as they always have been. I knock on the door three times. It takes a moment before I see Karofsky's eyes in the slot and another moment before the door is pulled open. I step inside quickly.

"Morning, Karofsky."

The man narrows his eyes at me. Probably because I used his name. He knows he never told me his name, which means he's figured out someone else has told me.

"Sugar told me." I shrug.

The scowl on his face grows deeper before he shakes his head. He shuts and locks the door, then leads me down the hallway. The big bulky man does his hand thing and the secret door opens up. I step inside with a nod of the head in Karofsky's direction.

The room is cold. The days are getting cooler outside with the fall slowing turning to winter. That cold reflects in here. It's like someone sucked all the warmth from the room.

Danny sits at the front of the room in his throne chair. He's the only one here. Maybe that's why the room feels so cold.

"Hello, Eva. How are you today?"

I move across the room so that I am in front of Danny. It's weird talking to someone from across a room. Well, I think it's weird.

"I'm good, sir. How are you?" I ask out of courtesy. I don't really care how the head of a drug ring is.

"Mmm. Thank you for asking, Eva. I slept very well last night, after having a great business day yesterday, so today I am doing just great." He tells me with disgusting, slimy smirk. "Now onto our business. What do you have for me?"

I reach into my jacket pocket and retrieve the money. Danny reaches for the money almost before I can get my hand out of my pocket. Greedy bastard.

He takes the money and starts counting it. I stand and wait for him. It's quiet in the room and there isn't anything else to look at. I can only watch as he counts. Last time Brittany was here and I could look to her for a little distraction.

"This is good, Eva. I like that you can bring this to me without any problems. I like that I can rely on you. You have only helped my business in the last couple of weeks. This is a very strong start for you. If this good roll you're on continues I think we should start upping your sales in the coming weeks. How do you feel about that?"

"Well, sir, I will try to do my best. I'm a little wary about selling more but am up for the challenge. I know the more I help you out, the more you will help me out."

He stops counting money and looks up at me. "That's right, Eva. Very good. I am impressed. Today you will have the same assignment as before but we will revisit this discussion in the future if you continue to do well."

Danny finishes counting the money and hands me my share. Now I know why people do this. The money you can make selling drugs with very little work is outstanding. It's incredible.

A loud bang behind me nearly makes me piss my pants. I turn around and Karofsky is standing at the opening of the secret door. His eyes are wide as they look upon me. He shakes his head and nearly runs towards me. The big lug passes by me and I turn to see him bend over and whisper something in Danny's ear.

Danny's eyes squint together as Karofsky speaks, his jaw grinds together. When Karofsky straightens up, Danny stands. He puts the money that I gave him in his pants pocket. "Stay here." He points to me. I nod not sure what to say.

The two men stomp out of the room in a flash.

Now what?

As Danny said it, I don't have my next 'assignment' so I can't leave yet. Which, I would really like to do. I don't know what happened or why Danny had to leave. But, I hope he returns soon. I want to get my stuff and get out of here. It's not like there's anything to do. There isn't anybody else here with me and there isn't much to do in this room. It's just a bunch of chairs and a couple tables. I think there's a deck of cards on one table but I don't like playing cards.

I wonder if they hold meetings here. They must. Why else would there be so many chairs. I've only ever seen a handful of people in this room at once. I don't know what kind of meeting that would be though. A meeting for the whole drug crew? Maybe a party?

I find the comfiest looking seat in the room. They are all metal folding chairs so none of them are comfy. The only comfy chairs are Danny's throne chair and the chairs on either side of his chair. The one Brittany always sits in and the one to the left of the throne chair are folding chairs but have padded seats and backs. An upgrade from cold, hard metal.

"Hey, little lady." The voice startles me and I sit up straighter in my chair. The voice is followed by a person entering the room through what I now know is the door to the kitchen.

She walks across the front of the room and takes her usual seat.

Now is my opportunity to get to talk to her. Now is when I can put my plan into action. Maybe gain her trust and get some information out of her.

"I thought I would come keep you company until Danny and Karofsky get back." Brittany speaks up again once she is settled in her chair.

"How'd you know I was here?" It's very curious. She just shows up after the two guys leave. Then she stated that she knew they left.

"I have my ways." She smiles. It's not a slimy smile but I wouldn't say it's an honest smile either.

I nod. Her words aren't very reassuring and I'm starting to wonder if I'm being watched. Is this room rigged with cameras that I can't see. I suppose it's very possible. If Danny wants to protect himself and all of his assets. I wouldn't put it passed him to have this room bugged, possibly the whole building.

"So-" I need to find something to talk about. I could try talking about Danny or Karofsky but that seems too risky right off, too suspicious. "Do you know where Sugar is at? I haven't seen her in a while."

The blonde narrows her eyes at me. That's not a good sign. After a beat she shrugs and looks down at her hands.

She doesn't budge. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Her eyes flicker to mine. I smile. I got to her.

"What's your story?" Odds are she isn't gonna give me much but it's worth a try. "Where do come from? How did you get in with Danny? What's your story?" I shrug.

"I don't have a story." She tightens up. She sits straighter in her chair. Her hands folded in her lap.

"Everyone has a story." I tell her. It doesn't matter who you are or what your background is, everybody has a story, whether it's good or bad.

"Well, mine's not very interesting." She shrugs and slumps down in her seat. She almost looks defeated. By what, I couldn't tell you.

"Let me be the judge of that. Come on. It's not like I have anything else to do right now. Just tell me a little bit about yourself." I'm just about ready to beg. I will try just about every police tactic I know to get any information out of this woman.

Brittany bites her bottom lip into her mouth as she thinks over my suggestion. I'll admit she looks cute doing it.

"You first. You tell me something about you and I'll tell you something about me."

"Okay." Shit. Now I gotta think quick. Up to this point no one has asked anything about Eva Garcia, so I haven't had to reveal an information. "My name is Eva Garcia and I grew up in the Bronx." I tell her with as much confidence as a lie can hold.

Brittany folds her arms over her chest and nods. "Okay. My middle name is Susan."

"That's it?" I gave her two things and she just gives me her middle name. I can't tell if this woman is very smart or very stupid. But, my bets are that she is smart and not going to reveal her true identity to someone she doesn't know.

"That was the deal. You give me something and I give you something." She says with a little bite in her voice. She's smart.

"Okay. Fair enough." I raise my palms to her, meaning no offense. "Um- let's see-" I need something really good. Something fake, but really, really good. "My dad lost his job and my parents are broke. That's why I started this." I wave my hand around in a circle above my head.

Brittany's face twitches and she tilts her head to the side. "Uh-" I'm hoping I'm gonna get a similar response from her. About her family or how she got here. "I had a cat named Lord Tubbington."

"Interesting name." I comment. This little conversation isn't getting me anywhere. "I don't have any pets."

"He died a few years ago." She adds rather bluntly.

"I'm sorry." I say I'm not sure if that's a sore spot for her or not.

"Don't be. Like I said, it was a few years ago."

I duck my chin to my chest. It's like pulling teeth with his woman.

I get a few things out of Brittany about herself but not anything that is pertinent to the investigation. I didn't even get a last name out of her. That means she must be hiding something from me. I still don't have any idea what she has to do with Danny or his 'business'. She seems like a nice girl and I don't know how she got mixed up with Danny's crew.

* * *

A couple of long, boring hours pass. Brittany doesn't say much to me the whole time. Every now and then I will ask her something, but if she responds, it's short one or two word answers.

I am thankful when I hear someone coming into the room. The secret door in the wall opens and Sugar appears. I was hoping it would have been Danny and Karofsky, but then again I don't think they would come through that way. At least not Danny.

"Oh my gawd, Eva. I haven't seen ya in foreva. Where ya been? How ya doin'?" Sugar walks between the chairs that fill the room and when she gets to me she slap me hard on the back. I lurch forward trying to stay in my seat.

"I'm good. I just been doin' my work n keepin' my head down. Ya know."

"I do fuckin' know. Very well." Sugar pulls a chair up next to mine and sits down. "Whatcha doin' here?"

"Just waitin' for Danny and Karofsky to get back. They ran outta here like their pants was on fire." I smile at my own joke. Sugar likes it. She smiles and nods. "Just waitin' for my next assignment." I add for good measure. "What are you doin' here?"

"Same as you. Gotta get my product for the night." She nods her head towards the front of the room. I look in the direction Sugar is suggesting. "What's up wit Silent Brittany over there?" She asks me.

"Don't know." I shrug. I thought maybe she would converse with us but she hasn't so far. Sugar's only been here a couple minutes but Brittany hasn't said a peep. Not that she said a whole lot when it was just me and her. I'm starting to wonder if she talks to anyone around here. Maybe I'm lucky that I got a few words out of her.

She just sits there in her chair and watches Sugar and I. It's unnerving. She smirks at me when I look in her direction but other than that she is like a statue. Still and silent. But, I know she is listening to every word we say. I have to keep that in mind.

"Can I ask ya something?" I turn my attention back to Sugar. I even turn in my seat a little, to face her more than facing the front of the room.

"Yeah, sure."

"There was a guy in here, before, when I got here. I think he had an Irish accent. What do ya know 'bout him?"

Sugar rubs her hands together. "Not much. He's a fuckin' cutie though. I'd like to get on that." She winks at me and I have to try real hard not to cringe in front of her. "His name's Rory. I don' know a last name. But, we don' go by last name's 'round these parts. He's only here every couple a weeks. And he only deals wit Danny. I don' think he sells. He comes ta the meetin's though."

I nod with the new information. "Thanks. I was just wonderin' about him cuz I never saw him before." I bite the inside of my cheek and store the info in my brain. I'm gonna have to call Puck sooner than I thought. I've learned a lot today.

"I understand that." Sugar says sympathetically. "I was the new girl once."

"Yeah."

If Rory isn't one of Danny's dealers, than what does he do? He wasn't big enough to be muscle. Rory could be anything though. He could be a supplier, or a grower. Some sort of middle man. I don't know. He could be virtually anything that I can think of that is associated with a drug gang.

"You want some?" I look over at her. She nods at the card table. I look down at the table top. A little line of white powder sits on a small mirror.

"Uh- no. Thanks anyway." I wave my hand back and forth in front of me.

"Mkay." Sugar bends over and snorts up the line of cocaine. I look over at Brittany for what she thinks. She just shrugs her shoulders. It's probably a normal occurrence around here. I can't imagine that this is a 'clean' drug house.

* * *

The door at the front of the room swings open and Karofsky walks in first and then Danny. Karofsky walks through the room, right passed me. I eye him carefully. The big man seems stiff. I notice a few little spots on his right pant leg, so I look down further. His shoes have more little red spots on them.

I know instantly that whatever Danny and Karofsky went to do wasn't good. Somebody lost some blood and by the looks of it, both men here are fine. So, it wasn't one of them. It's a wonder if their victim is alive still.

"Danny. Thank god. I've been waitin' foreva." Sugar says as soon as she see the leader in the room. "I'm ready fer my product fer the night." She stands from her seat and goes up to Danny. He towers over her.

"I'm afraid there has been a change of plans." Danny informs Sugar. She cocks her head to the side. I can't see the expression on her face, but I can assume it's one of shock or confusion.

"Why?" She sounds like a little kid when she asks.

"There have been some- developments- today. I don't feel safe having anyone out tonight." Danny says and spins away from her. He walks over and sits in his throne chair, next to Brittany. For her part she listens intently. "I have something else for you tonight though, Sugar."

"Okay." She nods once.

"Have a seat." He extends his arm to the nearest folding chair in front of him. Sugar's shoulders slump and she sits in one of the chairs.

"Eva." I perk up to attention at my 'name' coming from Danny's lips. "Karofsky will bring your usual amount to you and then you can go. Just stay off the streets tonight. I assume that's not your usual sales method, but when you leave her go straight home and don't leave until tomorrow."

At the sound of his name Karofsky leaves the room.

"Okay." I confirm my instructions.

Danny seems spooked. I'm sure it has something to do with whatever he and Karofsky were just doing. There could be a threat out there for some reason. This is the part of my job that I don't like. I could possibly be in danger but not know it. Whatever it is, it has Danny rethinking things for the night.

"I have to make a few calls. Sugar, you stay here. I will be back. Eva, you can go when Karofsky comes back." He stands and looks over to Brittany. She locks eyes when him and stands herself. Danny wraps his big hand around her wrist and leads her out of the room.

Brittany follows behind him effortlessly. As they approach the door at the front of the room Brittany waves at me, discreetly. It's small wave of her hand with it directly in front of her stomach. She does it just before I lose sight of her leaving the room. Making it impossible for Sugar to have seen it. I don't have time to see her face before she goes but I can imagine there was a smile there to accompany the wave.

The door slams shut behind Brittany and I flinch in my seat. The personal curiosity in me wants to know where they are going more than the detective in me.

I hear Sugar huff out a exasperated breath of air. "What?" I turn in my seat, so I can see her better. She has her arms crossed over her chest and a very irritated look on her face.

"I can't believe this shit. That bastard takes me off my nightly shift n' let's ya fuckin' do as ya want. I can't be taken off my sales, even fer a night. It means I lose business. He knows that. If my customers can't get it from me, they'll go ta someone else. It's not good fer business. I'm the best his got 'n' he's takin' that from me."

She whines about it, but I don't know if she understands the situation fully. "It's probably for the best. There's probably a good reason. Danny seems like a good man and I'm sure he's just lookin' to protect you."

"I can protect myself." She huffs and stomps her foot on the floor. It's the closest I've ever come to seeing an adult throw a temper tantrum.

I don't say anything more about the subject. I'm not sure what I can say to convince Sugar that it's probably best she isn't out of the street selling drugs tonight.

She doesn't say anything either. She just sits there sulking. After a few uncomfortable minutes Karofsky comes back. He hands me my bag then points to Sugar. "With me." He says to her. For her part Sugar gets up, grabs her bag, and follows Karofsky out.

Once they leave I have no reason to stick around anymore. I stuff the brown paper bag inside my jacket and exit through the door that leads to the garage.

* * *

The walk through the New York City streets to a payphone is longer than last time. I can't go to the same phone, so I have to find a different one. I decided to walk in the opposite directions from the last payphone that I used. I don't know if it's safer that way, but I feel like it is. My biggest concern with the whole payphone thing is if Danny ever found out, then he could find a way to track and even record my calls.

I'm confident that no one is tailing me. I was cautious the first time I made a call and made sure to look out for anyone that looked suspicious or like they were following me. I haven't seen anything suspicious today and I'm fairly sure no one is tailing me today. I look around one last time as I approach the payphone.

I dial the number and wait. Puck picks up on the second ring with a gruff hello.

"Hey, I know it hasn't been long but I wanted to call and tell you what I know. I've done some digging and I have a few names for you to run."

"_Okay. Let me get a pad and pen."_ Puck is quiet for a few seconds, but I can hear some ruffling around of papers in the background. _"Okay, I'm ready."_

"First, I'll give you name and descriptions. There's Danny, I still don't have a last name for him but you already knew about him. That's why we are here. He has a thug that answers the door every time I've gone there. His last name's Karofsky. I only knew him by that until I asked Sugar about it yesterday. She said his first name is Dave or David. Sugar is a dealer and she might be a prostitute on occasion, but I don't have any proof on that. It's just a hunch at this time."

"_Holy shit, S- Eva. That's a lot of info at once."_

"I'm not done. There's this guy that I saw the other day. I don't think he runs in Danny's crew, but he has an Irish accent. Sugar says his name is Rory but she didn't know a last name. I would guess it's something Irish but I have no clue what it is."

"_Okay. Well, that's a good start. I'll run these names and see if I can find anything on them. Other than that, you're doing really good work. How much longer until you have something more concrete though?"_

I roll my eyes. I knew Puck would ask that. "Look, this is a difficult operation, but I think I have a way I can get more information. There's this girl and I think if I can get her to trust me she will give me information."

"_What's her name? Did you give it to me?"_

"No. It's Brittany. But, I don't want you to run her name, not yet anyway. I don't think you would find anything if you did. I haven't seen her do anything illegal or talk about an illegal activity. I don't know her deal, but I'm gonna figure it out. I promise."

"_Are you sure?"_ I can here the hesitation in Puck's voice. Knowing him he probably wrote her name down and will run it through the system anyway. I just don't think he will find anything on her.

"Yes. I'm sure. I gotta go but I will talk to you when I found out something that's worth talking to you about. You don't have any new information do you?"

"_We had a lead the other day, about Danny, but it was a dead end. I don't have anything for you, I wish I did."_

"Okay, thanks man, later." I slam the phone receiver back on the hook. Stepping away from the payphone I look around. Everyone around me is minding there own business and don't bother giving me an attention. Just the way I prefer in this situation.

* * *

The next time I show up to the drug house things have calmed down. In fact, Karofsky isn't at the front door. Another guy opens the slot in the door after I knock three times, squints his beady eyes at me, then shuts the slot, and opens the door. I step inside and get a better look of the man.

He's like the completely opposite of Karofsky. This guy has jet black hair, it's slicked back with some product, making it look greasy. He's a white guy, skinny too. He's probably five foot six or seven. Maybe a hundred and forty-five, fifty pounds. Like I said, skinny. But, what he is wearing probably surprises me the most. He has on a dark blue three piece suit with a long skinny red tie and brown dress shoes. Not only does this guy look over dressed he also looks like he's an asshole.

I eye him wearily. He smiles at me, smug. I walk passed him to the secret door and push it open. I wanna ask him where Karofsky is, but at the same time I don't want to talk to him.

When I enter the room it is empty, except for Danny. He sits at the front of the room, in his throne chair. He's smoking a cigarette and reading the newspaper. When I shut the door Danny looks up from his newspaper.

"Oh, hello Eva." Danny lifts his cigarette to his lips, takes a puff, and then blows out the smoke. "How are you today?"

"Good." I say. "I have your money." I pull the wad of cash out of my pocket and wiggle it around a little in front of me.

"Good. Good. Let's see it." Danny folds his paper and sets it on the chair to his left, my right. "How has the _business _been going? Any problems?" He takes the cash from me.

"No. No problems. I'm selling mostly to some of my friends and friends of there's. I guess it's been going well. I haven't had any problems with anything yet." I say yet because this type of business is bound to come with problems eventually. If I'm careful, though, I can keep myself out of trouble.

"Awesome. I think you are doing a great job. I'm gonna think of some ways to incorporate you more into our business. Have you do more? Or help out with _other _things. Ya know."

I nod. "Yeah." I get what he is referring to.

"Great." He counts the cash and then hands me my portion of it. It's a couple hundred dollars. I stick my payment in my pants pocket without thinking another of it. "I only have one more question for you. How have-"

Danny doesn't get to finish his question because the door at the front of the room opens. The man that let me into the house comes into the room. His greasy hair and unnecessary suit coming along with him. But, what really catches my attention is the body that enters the room behind him.

"Hey, Danny. Karofsky is back. I brought Brittany to you. Am I free to go now?" The grease ball speaks. I can't even stand his voice.

Brittany walks passes him and Danny and goes to sit in her chair. Once she's settled she looks over to me and smiles. It's warm and welcoming. For as quiet as she is Brittany seems to be a nice girl.

"Thank you, Fitz. You can go now." Danny tells him and waves a hand at the man in the suit.

Suit guy, Fitz, spins on the heels of his fancy dress shoes and walks out the door that he and Brittany just entered through.

Just when I think Danny is going to address me again he turns to Brittany and whispers something in her ear. I expect her to whisper back or nod but she doesn't do either.

"My morning was good." She looks directly at me when she speaks. Danny pulls his face away from Brittany's and follow's her line of sight. "I went to the grocery store and then we stopped at the hardware store for a few things. Nothing major. It went fine." Danny clearly looks surprised that Brittany is speaking out loud and not whispering to him like he just whispered to her.

I look between the two of them. There's an awkward silence that fills the room. I watch them and Danny looks between Brittany and I. But, Brittany keeps her eyes on me the whole time.

"Welllll." Danny draws out. "As I was saying, have there been any problems for you with anyone in the ring, Eva? Sugar, Karofsky, anybody?"

"No, sir." I shake my head to emphasis the point.

"Good. I hope everyone is treating you well. And welcoming you with open arms. This isn't just a crew, it's a little like a family. We all lean on each other when we need to. If you ever need anything just let me, or Karofsky, or even Brittany know. Got it?" Danny nods his head over to Brittany.

"Yeah, got it." I look over to see Brittany's reaction. She has an eyebrow raised and the smile on her face is a little brighter than before. "I got it." She almost looks pleased.

"Good. That concludes our business for the day." Danny says and stands up. "I'll go get your stuff ready."

My eyes follow Danny as he walks across the room, they never leave him until he closes the door. When he is gone they snap over to the last remaining person in the room, other than me.

She's still watching me. "How's it going?" She asks almost immediately.

The suddenness of her question takes me aback. "G-good. You?"

"I'm good. Really good. Thanks." She looks down at her lap. I follow where she is looking. Brittany fiddles with her fingers in her lap. Awkward. Nervous?

It is awkward. We sit there in awkward silence for a while. I don't know what to say, even if I say something is Brittany even going to respond?

"Sooo-" I start but don't come up with anything to say, so I just leave it at that.

The door swings open and Karofsky comes in with a little brown bag. I stand up when I see him. We meet in the middle of the room and he hands me the bag. I nod and thank him. He leaves and I'm about to leave too. Brittany's voice stops me. "See ya around." She says quietly.

I turn to her and smile. "Yeah, see ya." I walk over to the door for the garage. "Bye." I say and pull the door open.

"Bye, Eva." Brittany says I can hear the smile in her voice. I know she is smiling. I don't even have to turn around to see it. I can hear it in her smile. She just has this lightness about her.

I slip into the garage, walk around the car that's in there, exit through the small door on the side of the garage, and start walking back to my shitty studio apartment.

* * *

**There's the 3rd chapter. Hope you all enjoyed. The next chapter will longer and heavier. Thanks.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is longer. Has a little more danger. Has a little more info about Brittany. And a few surprises. Leave me a review and let me know what you think.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

When I enter the house, before I even get to the meeting room, I hear shouting. I look over at Karofsky as he shuts the front door. He shrugs indicating that he doesn't know what's going on.

I walk down the hallway and push the secret door open. The yelling is so much louder now that the door is open.

I see Danny standing up and the front of the room in front of his throne chair. He's yelling and pointing a finger at somebody. Beside him is Brittany, in her chair, eyes wide and scared. The guy that Danny is pointing a threatening finger at has his back to me.

I close the door and Danny flicks his eyes in my direction. "Have a seat, Eva." He instructs. The man turns to look at me. He has shaggy, dirty blonde hair and the biggest lips I've ever seen. They put Lisa Rinna's lips to shame. The guy is wearing a white t-shirt. Over that is a thick, plaid, button down long sleeve shirt. He has tattered, old, ripped, baggy blue jeans on and what looks like were once white sneakers, but are now a faded brown color.

Big lips turns his attention back to Danny and I take a seat a few feet from him. "I'm sick of this shit. I work my ass off and you treat me like shit." Big lips throws his hands up in the air as he yells.

"I don't know what you are talking about Sam. I treat you very well." Danny yells back at this Sam guy.

"That's bullshit. You don't pay me shit. I fuckin' am out there every day and night sellin' and you haven't once raised my pay in all the time I've been working for ya." Sam yells back.

Danny takes a step towards the shaggy haired man. He points his index finger right in Sam's face. "Listen here you little fucker, I'm the boss. I'm the one in charge. I determine how much money you get."

"It's not fair. I make as much money as Sugar and she doesn't sell nearly as much as I do. I want more money. I need it for my family. I deserve more for all that I do for you." Big lips says. This time though his voice has come down in volume.

"How about this. You leave the premises right now and don't come back until you've cooled off and thought about this." Danny crosses his arms over his chest in a threatening manner.

"And if I don't." Sam contests.

"Then you can find employment elsewhere." Danny says with finality.

Sam's shoulders sag. "Fine." He huffs.

"Goodbye, Samuel." Danny says and returns to his seat next to Brittany.

Sam walks dejectedly out the door. I look between Brittany and Danny waiting for someone to say something. I'm not sure if I should speak first or not. It doesn't seem wise.

"Have you sold all of your latest product, Eva?" Danny's the one who breaks the silence.

I nod. "Yes, sir."

Danny leans over to Brittany and whispers in her ear. The blonde woman nods and stands. She sends a smile in my direction. I wrinkle my brow up. That's the second time she's secretly smiled at me. It's a little unnerving. Brittany walks out of the room without a word.

"How've you been, Eva? Is everything working with you in regards to our arrangement?" Danny asks me. I'm not sure if he really wants to know my honest opinion or if he's just trying to make small talk.

"Yes. Our arrangement is working great for me." I tell the man what he wants to hear.

"Good. Don't need any more whiny babies like Sam." Danny grumbles and runs his hands through his hair.

"Who was that guy?" I can't pass up an opportunity to get information from Danny. I know in his agitated state he will reveal more than usual.

Danny pulls a cigar out of a box from under his chair and lights it up. He takes a few puffs before responding. "My bitchy meth and coke dealer. He thinks his god's gift to drug dealing. He does do more than a lot of the others but not by much. When he says he's out their all night it's because he is lazy. If he put more effort in he would sell out much faster and not have to be out all night. That's why I won't up his pay."

"Oh. Sounds fair to me." I comment for lack of something else to say. I don't pretend to know everything about the drug business, but some of it seems like common sense and some I do know from my drug training. There is some that I admittedly don't know. Pay scales, what Danny is talking about now, for drug dealers is something I know nothing about.

The door opens and Brittany come back in. She goes over and sits down next to Danny again. He looks over at her, she makes eye contact and nods. He nods then takes another pull of his cigar.

"Eva-" He blows out a puff of smoke. "-Karofsky will bring your stuff in." Danny says as he stares me down. I nod and he presses his lips together in a tight-lipped smile. The man stands and leaves the room.

I rub my hand down my face. "That was weird." I mumble as soon as he's gone.

"What's that?"

I snap my eyes to the front of the room were Brittany still sits. She locks eyes with me. "Nothing."

"Liar." Brittany blurts out.

I furrow my brow at her. "How would you know?" I ask. She doesn't know what I said or didn't say.

"I don't, but it's never nothing. Which means it's something. So what is it?" The blonde leans forward in her chair. Her attempt to get closer to me. Even if it's only inches.

"Fine." I huff and roll my eyes. "Your boss, or whatever he is, really weirds me out sometimes."

"Danny?"

"Yes, Danny. Who else would I be talking about?" I snap, probably too harshly.

"I don't know." She shrugs.

"Well, he's weird." He's a drug dealer. I guess it would be unnatural if he wasn't at least a little bit weird.

"Well, I don't think so." Brittany argues.

I narrow my eyes at her. "Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree then." I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. I'm not gonna argue with some- I don't know what- about whether or not a drug boss is weird or not.

"I don't-" Brittany starts to say something, but stops when the door swings open and Karofsky lumbers in. He walks over to me and drops a brown paper bag in my lap.

"Thanks." I mumble. Karofsky grunts with a nod and walks away. I stand up, put the bag inside my coat, and go to the door. I look over my shoulder as I pull the door open. Brittany is looking down, a scowl on her face. I want to laugh at her for getting upset over our stupid little argument. Instead, I shake my head and exit.

* * *

"We're gonna do something different today ladies." Danny announces. Sugar sits next to me in one of the many folding chairs.

"That's why I'm here?" Sugar asks sounding annoyed.

"Yes, Sugar, that's why you are here." Danny nods.

"What are we doing?" I ask as I look around the room. It's me, and Sugar, and Danny. But, Karofsky stands at the front of the room with an even face and his hands behind his back. Sitting in her usual sit is Brittany. Is this girl always here? Does she do anything else than sit in that damn chair?

"You are gonna go out with Sugar tonight, Eva." Danny says calmly.

Karofsky moves over to us and hands Sugar a brown paper bag. She opens it up and peers inside. Karofsky goes back to his original position. "What the fuck? This isn't my usual product." She shrieks. I groan and look over towards Brittany. The blonde cowers in her seat the shriek was so powerful.

"I know it's not, Sugar." Danny glares threateningly at the girl sitting next to me. "Things are gonna go a little differently tonight. I am sending you to a new location tonight. You are going to sell what is in that bag, no questions asked."

"But-" Sugar starts to say something but Danny cuts her off.

"No pissin' and moanin'." He points his finger at her. "You're going to this club." Danny sticks his right hand in his pants pocket and pulls out a small folded piece of paper and hands it to Sugar. "You will sell there and then you will come back here tonight and let me know how it went. Got it?" He shifts his eyes from Sugar to me. I nod and Danny looks back to Sugar.

"Yes." She mumbles and nods too.

"Good. I'll see you ladies later." Danny dismisses us with a wave of his hand. Sugar gets out of her chair first and I quickly follow. We walk over towards the door. Sugar twists the handle and pulls it open. "Oh, and Sugar, teach Eva a thing or two while your there, will you?" Danny chuckles. Sugar doesn't respond to him and we leave.

Now I see what part of Danny's plan is for tonight. It's for me to learn some more things from Sugar as far as selling goes in a public place. In my 'sales' I'm just meeting my friends and selling to them. I'm guessing Danny plans is to eventually get me out there selling to more than just people I know. Hopefully, that's not for a long time cuz I haven't actually sold any drugs to anyone. My cover could be compromised if it comes to that.

* * *

The club we went to was one that I had never been to or even heard of. It was dark, and loud, and packed full of people. Sugar did most of the mingling and selling. I watched on as I took in her strategies and techniques. She didn't tell me or make me do anything. She did have a few comments or as she called them pointers.

We sold out a lot faster than I thought we would have. Which, I guess, is good.

"That crystal sells freaky fast, man." Sugar says as we leave the club.

"Yeah. I didn't think we'd be outta there so quick." I comment.

"Yep. The only shitty thing is now we gotta walk back to the house." Sugar groans and kicks at the ground with one foot.

I hum in response. It's probably about twenty blocks back to the drug house. I'm not looking forward to the long walk either.

Sugar and I make small talk as we walk back. Nothing important really. Just the weather, news, a little bit of gossip, that sort of thing. Nothing serious.

There's only a few blocks to go when I notice something. It might be my police training or it might just be instinct. I look over my shoulder to see a car about a half a block behind Sugar and I. It's very suspicious looking. The car drives very slowly along the side of the road, right next to the sidewalk.

I don't say anything to Sugar about our suspicious new friend. I have a feeling, just by what I know about her, that she would freak out over something like a suspicious vehicle. We walk another block before I check over my shoulder again. The vehicle is still there, still following us.

I know that I have to stay calm and not do anything that would be out of the ordinary, but I'm a little nervous on the inside.

We are only two blocks away. We just need to walk the length of this block, round the corner, then Danny's house is a halfway down the next block. If we can just walk this two more blocks we'll be fine.

We round the corner, I can see the house from here. Just a half a block to go. I look over my shoulder one more time as the suspicious car turns the corner. I wish I hadn't.

"Get down." I yell when I see the passengers side window roll down

It all happens so fast. First, Sugar looks at me with a confused expression on her face. Then, the gun fire rings out. I drop to the ground the second I hear the shots. Sugar screams this bloodcurdling scream and starts running for the house.

"Sugar, get down." I yell but it's futile. The girl runs down the sidewalk screaming. Two rounds of gun shots ring through the air.

The car speeds off down the street and I'm left laying flat on the sidewalk. I look around as soon as the car is out of sight. I push myself up onto my hands and knees when I don't see anyone or anything around me. It's dark and quiet as if nothing had happened.

Once I get back to my feet I look down at myself to see if I was hit. I don't feel like I have any wounds, but adrenaline could override any pain. I feel a little bit of blood on the palm of my right hand. I rub at it and hiss. It's just a cement burn.

When I figure out that I'm okay I jog the half block back to the drug house. My heart beating fast in my chest. I'm met at the door by Karofsky. He has a pistol in his right hand. "Are you okay?" He asks with wide, alert eyes.

"I'm fine." I nod. "Just a scrap." I hold my palm up for him to see.

He nods. "What happened?"

Ignoring his question, I ask my own. "Where's Sugar? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she-"

I don't have time. I push past him and bust through the secret door into the main room looking for Sugar. I need to know that she is okay. I see Danny first, then Brittany. The blonde is standing there blocking Sugar. That's when I see her. She has her forehead pressed to the card table as she sits in one of the chairs. Brittany is rubbing her hand over Sugar's back and whispering things to her.

"What the fuck happened out there?"

I look away from the two of them to a very angry Danny. He's rubbing one of his temples with a hand. The other hand waves franticly in my direction.

"Someone fired shots at the girls. I only saw them speeding off though." Karofsky's voice startles me from behind. I didn't know he was in the room with us.

"It was a dark colored sedan. Maybe blue or black. There were two rounds of shots. The first round was four or five shots and the second round was only three." I fill in with the information that I know.

Danny stares at me blankly.

"I think the shots were to scare us, maybe. That they were shot into the air, but not directly at me or Sugar." I shrug. I don't want to sound like a cop, but right now I'm thinking purely like one. I just hope that I sound like a smart girl and not a police detective.

I stand there and stare at Danny waiting for him to say or do something. After a few seconds her turns his back to me and walks over to his throne chair and flops down in it unceremoniously.

He rubs his big hand over his face, exasperated. "They must have found out that you and Sugar were in that club. On their turf."

"Who, sir?" I take a few steps so I can get closer to him.

"Our fucking rivals. There a drug gang. Our biggest competition." He sighs. "I'm guessing they weren't too happy and that's what _this_- He waves his hand around in a circle. -is all about."

He's probably right. I didn't know that Danny was in competition with another drug gang though. I'll have to remember to tell Puck that.

I nod and hum letting him know that I agree with him.

"I don't want you going anywhere tonight. I don't want the two of you leaving this house." Danny tells me, then looks over at Sugar. I follow his eye and see that she is sitting in an upright position now and more coherent then before.

"What?" Sugar asks but she sounds far away when she speaks.

"You are going to stay here tonight, Sugar. It's for your own safety." Danny continues. "And tomorrow you both won't be going anywhere either. You aren't to leave until we get down to the bottom of this." Danny's starting to sound angry and frustrated again. "I won't have anyone shooting at any of my crew. That shit's not acceptable."

Danny turns his focus from Sugar to Karofsky. "Karofsky, I want you to go out and ask around. Find out who the guys were that shot are Eva and Sugar."

"When I find out, should I seek revenge?" The big bodyguard asks.

Danny mulls over Karofsky's question. He rubs his hand over his chin as he thinks. "No." Danny shakes his head. "That's what they will expect. They will expect for us to come after them. It's like walking into a trap. We won't exact revenge. At least, not now." Danny nods towards Karofsky. The big man nods back then turns and exits the room.

"Brittany." The blonde looks away from tending to a scared Sugar at the sound of Danny's voice. He motions for her to come to him with a wave of the hand. She gets up and goes over to the man. I watch as he whispers something in her ear. When he's finished he stands up. "Goodnight ladies." Danny says and then leaves the room.

Now it's just me and Sugar and Brittany.

"Both of you. Follow me." Brittany instructs.

She looks from Sugar to me and back over to Sugar. Sugar stands up from her chair, looking a little weary. She goes over to Brittany and Brittany turns around. She starts walking towards the door at the front of the room and both Sugar and I follow her.

We step through the door into what appears to be a kitchen. I can only assume this is the kitchen that I had heard about when Danny said lunch was ready one day. We pass through the room and I look at all my surroundings. It's very important to always be aware of the things and people around me in this line of work.

At the back corner of the kitchen in a set of stairs that runs along the back wall of the house. I follow Brittany and Sugar up the stairs in a single file line.

At the top of the stairs is a corner then a long hallway. I would think that we would travel down that long hallway but we don't. Instead, Brittany leads us into the first door on the right.

"You'll stay here tonight." She enters the room and turns to face Sugar and I. "The next door on this side of the hall is the bathroom, if you need it. But, don't go into any of the other rooms." Brittany eyes me until I nod and then eyes Sugar until she mumbles an okay.

In the bedroom there a queen size bed in one corner, a dresser in another, a mirror on the wall, and a rocking chair in the final corner.

"There's only one bed." Sugar says in a monotone voice.

I turn to Brittany, who is standing there looking at her feet. She shrugs and rubs the back of her neck nervously.

"You can have the bed, Sugar. I'll sleep on the floor." Brittany mumbles.

"What 'bout Eva?" Sugar asks.

Brittany raises her eyes from the floor and looks in my direction. She shrugs again and gives me an apologetic look. "It's up to her. You guys could share the bed."

"What?" Sugar squawks. "No, fuckin' way."

"No, no. I'll sleep on the floor. Sugar, you can have the bed to yourself." I gesture over to the bed. As much as I would love to sleep on a nice soft bed I don't feel comfortable with sleeping with Sugar.

"Okay. Uh- I'll go get some extra blankets, sleeping bags, and pillows." Brittany says as she brushes passed me. She gets so close that I can feel the heat radiating off of her body. She slips out of the room and closes the door behind her.

"This is bullshit. I shouldn't have ta stay here tonight. It doesn't make no sense. We were fuckin' shot at 'n' then I can't even go home 'n' sleep in the comfort of my own bed. Such bullshit." Sugar starts bitching about the shooting the second Brittany leaves the room. She folding down the blankets on the bed and grumbling about not being able to go home.

"It's for the best. Danny just wants to keep us safe." I tell her hoping she will see that side of it.

"Yeah, well, whoopdy frickin do." She groans and climbs into bed.

I stand awkwardly in the middle of the room with nothing to do. It's only a few seconds before Brittany comes back with an armful or stuff and drops it all on the carpet floor. Brittany gets down on the floor and starts arranging things. She lays out a blanket flat on the floor, then put two sleeping bags on top of it. When the sleeping bags are rolled out next to each other, she puts a pillow at the head of each one. Then on top of the each sleeping bags she lays a small blanket.

I watch from the other side of the room as Brittany puts all of these things together. It's practiced like this isn't the first time she's had to do this. I imagine that something like what happened to Sugar and I tonight has happened before.

"All ready." Brittany says and looks up to me with a soft smile.

I look over to Sugar who has her back to us. She's laying on her side, facing the wall, either sleeping or ignoring Brittany and I.

I make my way over to the sleeping bag bed and pick the one on the right to get into. Brittany gets up as I slip into my bag and I furrow my brow in confusion. Wasn't she going to take the other sleeping bag? She points over to the other side of the room by the door. She walks over and I final realize she is turning the light off.

The whole room is thrown into darkest. There's a window but it is covered by a thick, dark red curtain that doesn't let hardly any light in. I can hear Brittany shuffling back to the sleeping bags, then climbing into the one next to me.

The room is silent except for the sounds of breathing. I can hear my own, but I can hear Brittany's breathing more. I afraid to look, but I think she is facing me. I'm not sure if she is asleep or not though.

A few minutes pass and I can't fall asleep. My heart is beating far too fast for me to sleep and I can't get it too calm down. I hear Brittany shuffle in her sleeping bag next to me. "Goodnight, Eva." It's nothing but a whisper. But, for whatever reason it calms me down. My heart rate starts to slow and soon I can feel myself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

I bolt up in bed. My heart is racing. My breathing is labored. I was having a bad dream. More of a nightmare, really. It was about the shooting yesterday, but instead of just a scare I ended up getting shot. That's were the dream ended though with me taking a bullet to the chest.

I slowly breath in and out. It takes a few seconds to shake the thoughts from my head and remember that it was just a dream. I look at my surroundings and remember that I'm not a my undercover studio apartment. I'm not even in a bed. I'm in a sleeping bag, under a blanket. The spot next to me is vacant.

I look to the bed to see that Sugar is still sleeping. The sun is already up, so I know that it's morning of the next day. Next, I check my watch to get the time. Not only is Brittany gone, but her pillow, sleeping bag, and blanket are also missing.

There something about her that I like. Maybe it's her silent mystery. Maybe it's something else. Her missing right now is just another part of that mystery.

Slowly and as quietly as possible I slip out of the sleeping bag so that I don't wake Sugar. After I slip out of the room I hit up the bathroom and then walk down the stairs and come into the kitchen.

I hear something sizzling before I see or hear anything else. I step into the kitchen further and spot Brittany standing at the stove. She's wearing different clothes then she had on last night. I wonder when she changed? Where she got the clothes? That sort of thing. I look down at myself. I'm still wearing the same clothes that I put on yesterday morning when I got up. It's been over twenty-four hours now.

The bacon in the pan is what's sizzling. There's a pan next to the one with the bacon. Brittany is attending to the eggs. She's pushing them around the frying pan with a spatula. It's just her, there's nobody else in the room.

"Good morning." The words come from my lips. Brittany jumps a little bit. I didn't mean to scare her. I guess I could have introduced my presence in another way, but that might have scared her too. Slowly, without stopping her motions with the spatula, she turns her head and looks over her shoulder. Her eyes watch me for a moment before her lips spread into a warm smile.

"How'd you sleep?" Brittany asks.

"Alright for sleeping on the floor, I guess." I shrug it off. I didn't sleep terribly. I actually slept all of the night after I fell asleep. If I didn't have that nightmare I probably would have slept longer.

"Good." She nods and turns to head back to her cooking.

"Whatcha cooking?" I ask dumbly. I can clearly see what she is cooking. At this point, I'm just searching for anything to say. I don't want there to be any weird silences or anything like that. From what I can tell Brittany is a nice, but quite, girl.

"Bacon and eggs."

"They for yourself or-" I leave the sentence hanging. I'm not sure why I'm asking really. I'm not sure if that's a question I should be asking. I shouldn't assume things. That's how you get in trouble, but part of me thinks Brittany is making the eggs for Danny. I still haven't figured out how Danny and Brittany are connected.

"They're for anyone who wants 'em." She turns around and smiles. "Have a seat. They're almost done." Brittany points over at the little four-seater table in the center of the kitchen.

I narrow my eyes at the table. "O-okay." I stutter. My feet shuffle me over to the table. I pull out a chair and plop down in it.

No sooner do I sit down the back door swings open and Danny and Karofsky come into the house from outside. I look over to them as they come in from the yard. Karofsky comes over to the table and pulls out a chair and takes a seat unceremoniously. Danny makes a detour over to Brittany before he sits down. He approaches her, rests a hand on the small of her back, leans into her side, and kisses her on the cheek.

"Great timing. Breakfast's ready." Brittany announces with a little giggle.

"Smells great, Britt." Danny comments.

Brittany hands out plates of bacon and eggs to the three of us at the table. Karofsky picks up his fork and starts shoveling food into his mouth. Danny takes a slower approach and starts eating slowly. I watch as Brittany starts on another pan of bacon. How much food is she gonna cook? I look down at my plate. There are two strips of bacon and a small scoop of scrambled eggs. I start eating my eggs and watch Brittany as she cooks.

It's quiet for many minutes. Sugar comes down the stairs and into the kitchen. I look up when I hear her. Sugar is looking around the room with her eyebrows furrowed. She goes over to the counter and gets a plate. Brittany puts some bacon on the plate and then plops a scoop of steaming hot eggs her plate. Sugar comes over and pulls out the last remaining chair at the table. Danny's the one to break the silence. "You girls won't be leaving the house today."

Sugar lets out a groan of complaint. It's not actually words. She puts her head down and starts eating her food.

I look from Sugar when I hear a clank. Brittany fumbles with the spatula in her hands. She recovers and spins around so that she is looking at the table occupants. One corner of her lips curls up into a little smile. I'm not sure what she's smiling at.

"Just incase." Danny adds.

I look away from Brittany, back to Danny. He's wiping his face with his napkin. After he throws the napkin on his empty plate he pulls a pack of cigarettes out of the breast pocket of his shirt and lights one up. He sits back in his seat and puffs away.

I'm not sure how to feel about spending the day here. Does that mean I have to spend another night? I sure don't want to have my life risked if a leave or go outside. But, I don't really have a choice in the matter. I'm gonna do whatever Danny says. I don't know what I'm gonna do all day though. What is there to do? Sit here? Maybe I can ask Sugar.

I finish my breakfast and sit back in my chair. I look around the room again. Brittany is doing something at the refrigerator. She seems like she has some sort of routine. Like maybe she does this everyday. Is that what her role is? Housewife? Housemaid? Cook?

A chair scrapes across the floor. Sugar stands up from her chair and wipes the back of her hand across her mouth. Classy. "I'm goin' back at bed if I can't do nothing else all day." She mumbles and moves to the stairs. So much for asking her what to do.

A few seconds later Danny stands up. Karofsky follows suit. Danny walks over to Brittany. He kisses her on the cheek and whispers something in her ear. I see her nod and then return to her business.

"Let's go." Danny says to Karofsky. The man nods and follows Danny out of the room. They didn't say a word as to where they were going or what they were doing.

I look over at Brittany, she sees me and shrugs. I look at her for a while. I don't want to use the word stare, but that's pretty much what I'm doing. She stares back though. We look at each other, avoiding eye contact at first, but eventually our eyes do connect. A seconds passes, then Brittany turns around.

She's standing at sink with her back to me. She runs the water and squirts some dish soap into the sink. Brittany takes the dishes from the stove and starts washing them. I push my chair back and stand up. I collect all the dirty dishes that are on the table. Nobody even bothered to bring their plates over to the sink. I walk over and put the four plates on the counter next to the sink.

"Thanks." Brittany mumbles and keeps scrubbing.

"Do you want some help?" I ask quickly.

"No." She whispers. "I got this." I'm about to step away when Brittany turns her head to face me and flashes me a smile. A second goes by and then it disappears. She turns back to her work and scrubs away.

I look around the room unsure of what to do. With a sigh I go back and sit at the kitchen table.

I wait there. For what I'm not sure. I can't leave and I'm not sure I'm allowed in other parts of the house. Not that I know about other parts of the house aside from the meeting room, this kitchen, and the bedroom I slept in last night.

Brittany finally finishes washing the dishes. She turns to me as she dries her hands on a dish towel. This time the smile on her face is more genuine. Brighter. Or more enthusiastic.

She comes over to the table and holds out her hand. I stare at her hand and then up at her. "Come with me." She says.

I don't know why, but I get up, and let Brittany lead me out of the kitchen. I know I probably shouldn't, but I trust her for some reason. I trust that she won't led me into any danger, that she will keep me safe.

We go upstairs again. I don't know where we are going. Sugar said she was going back to sleep. I wouldn't think that's where we are going, back to that bedroom.

As we pass the door to the bedroom from last night I know that's not the case. Brittany leads me, by the hand, down the hallway until we get to the last door. There are five doors upstairs. Three on the right side of the hall and two on the left. I know what the first two doors on the right are, but I don't know what's behind all the other doors.

Brittany stops us outside the last door on the left side of the hallway. "What are all these rooms?" I take the opportunity to ask.

She turns her body towards mine, so that's she's facing me. We are only about a foot apart from each other. She's a little taller than me. I realize this now that we are actually standing next to each other. I'm closer than I've ever been to her before. I can see her features even better than ever too. Her eyes are so blue, so pretty. Her smile is nice too.

She's smiling at me. Like really smiling. Lips pulled up and tight. Teeth showing. Smiling.

"Bedrooms." She says simply answering my question that I had forgot about while I was taking in her appearance.

I swallow thickly. "All of them?" It's a dumb question. What's wrong with me?

She smiles wider. If that's possible. "Yep. Four bedrooms. Two on each side of the hall And the bathroom." Brittany pauses for a second and licks her lips. "Ready?"

I'm not sure what for. I lick my lips and nod.

The door next to us opens and Brittany steps inside, tugging me in behind her.

I step inside the room and step up next to Brittany. My jaws hangs open in awe. "What is this?" The room is decorated, unlike the room I slept in last night. It's not a lot, but it's clear that this is someone's personal room with their personal effects.

"This is my room."

I snap my head to see Brittany's face. She has a big smile on her face. I don't get it though. I wrinkle my brow together. "But-" I need to figure out a way to phrase what I want to say that doesn't sound weird or negative. "-last night you slept with me- you slept with Sugar and I in that other room." Well, I fucked that up. I can feel the heat on my cheeks. The embarrassment.

Brittany giggles at my screw up and it makes me feel a little less embarrassed. "That's the guest room." She raises her hands and uses air quotes around her words.

"So, you really do live here?" I ask out of curiosity more than anything.

"Yeah." Brittany says. Her voice is softer now and she looks away from me when she says it. "I have since I was sixteen." She walks away from me.

Since she was sixteen. Now I'm confused again. I want to know more, but I don't know if I should just come out and ask. It may or may not be pertinent to my undercover investigation. Just as I'm about to ask she speaks up again.

"Want to watch tv?"

"Sure." I shrug even though Brittany has her back to me and can't see it.

I watch as she picks up the remote control off the bed and then flicks the tv on. There is a television across the room from her bed. The bed is in the middle of the room with the headboard against one wall. There's a dresser on the opposite side of the room from where I stand in the door. It's fairly simple, but Brittany has a few paintings on the walls. The mirror above the dresser has a bunch of picture tucked into the frame.

I take a step forward. "Shut the door." Brittany tells me. I shut the door and goes over to the bed. Brittany climbs on top of her dark green bedspread and sits against the headboard. I follow her lead and sit down next to her with my legs out in front of me. I cross my legs at the ankles and fold my hands together in my lap. I'm a little tense, I'll admit that. Brittany is a nice girl. But, she's still a stranger.

She sits more relaxed next to me as she flips through the channels for something to watch. When Brittany finally settles on a movie she sets the remote on the bed in between our legs.

* * *

I've spent most of the day with Brittany. In her room. Watching tv. I don't want to say I was bored but I was. We didn't really talk, just a few words or comments about the tv shows or movies that we watched. We'd switch off though. She picked something to watch and then let me pick something and then she'd pick something again. We went back and forth like that all day.

We didn't even take a break for lunch. I didn't realize we missed lunch until I looked at my watch and it was around two in the afternoon. I didn't ask about it. I don't know if there was suppose to be lunch or not. Brittany didn't say anything, so I don't know.

She's been quiet most of the day actually. After she told me that she lived here since she was sixteen she kept to herself. She only commented on this or that. I didn't get anything personal out of her. And it made me not want to ask anything about her or anything connected to the drug house. I know that I probably squandered an opportunity, but I couldn't bring myself to ask. Somehow, she seemed sad. I didn't know what to do, so I just sat there next to her.

When Danny and Karofsky came back Danny called for Brittany. She run downstairs. When she came back up a few minutes later she told me that she was gonna start dinner. I went downstairs with her and sat at the table while she cooked. I asked again if she wanted help, but again she said no.

When dinner was ready Brittany pulled a cell phone out of her pocket that I didn't know she had and called Danny and told him dinner was ready.

Danny and Karofsky came in and sat down and we all ate. It was quiet while we ate.

After Danny was done eating he turned to me.

"You and Sugar are to stay here another night. Just as a precaution. But, tomorrow, everything should be fine. We just had to have you guys lay low for a while. The whole crew is laying low for a few days. No biggie." He says it as if it's a common occurrence. Which it probably is.

I nod. "Okay." It's not exactly how I want to spend another night. Sleeping on the floor in a strange place.

I take the plates from dinner and bring them over to the sink. If I'm gonna be here for another night the least I could do I help out a little. They fed me after all.

Brittany comes over next to me and starts running the water in the sink. "Thanks." She says softly. "I got this."

I shake my head. I want to help. "Let me help."

She frowns. "Okay." At least she doesn't fight me on it. She is seriously the nicest person. I still don't understand what she is doing with drug dealers. It doesn't make any sense.

As I wait for the water and bubbles to fill the sink I look over my shoulder at the men. Danny and Karofsky haven't moved from their seats. They actually have started a game of cards. Along with their card game they are smoking cigars. The smoke is slowly filling up the room. I look back to the sink and see that it is full.

I reach for the first plate. Before I can pick one up Brittany hands it to me. I look up to her face. There's a small smile there. "I'll help." She whispers.

I nod and smile back. I take the plate from her and dunk it under the soapy water and start washing.

Brittany stands next to me the whole time. She hands me dirty dishes and we exchange silly smiles. We finish the dishes in about ten minutes. I turn away from the sink and wipe my hands on the dish towel. The men are still playing cards. I have no idea what game they are playing. I don't know much about cards.

"Brittany, dear, would you like to join us." Danny glances over in her direction.

Out of the side of my eye I see her look at me and then look back to Danny. "No thanks. Not today."

"Alright." He says without taking his eyes away from the game.

I flinch when I feel something brush against my hand. I look down to see Brittany fingers lingering next to my hand. Next thing I now she grabs a hold of my hand and starts walking. I have two choices. Follow her or make a scene by not following her. I follow her even though I don't know where she is going. Like this morning, I'm not scared or worried as to where she is leading me.

Brittany drags me over to the stairs before I get my legs underneath me. She holds my hand all the way up the stairs. When we get to the top she turns around to face me. With her free hand she points to the room that we slept in last night, the room Sugar is still sleeping in now - or whatever it is Sugar is doing in there. I haven't seen her since this morning at breakfast. I actually forgot she was in this house until now.

I nod. Brittany lets go of my hand and goes over to the door. She slowly pushes it open and goes inside, shutting the door behind her. I stand out in the hallway and wait. I'm not sure if I'm suppose to go in or just wait her. But, if Brittany wanted me to go in she would have brought me in with her.

It isn't long that I have to wait before she slips out of the room. "Okay. All good." Brittany whispers. I don't have any idea as to what she is talking about, but I nod. She holds out her hand towards me. I look down at it with furrowed brow. She did this this morning. Held out her hand for me to take and I took it. I don't know why I did it then. And I don't know why I do it now. I take a hold of her hand with mine. There's just something about her that makes me feel comfortable. Comfortable enough that I can hold her hand in mine. She smiles and leads us down the hallway to her room.

Once inside and sitting on the bed Brittany turns the tv on again. This time though she turns the volume down so it's just background noise. She moves around on the bed until she is sitting Indian-style facing me. I scrunch my nose up at her. What is she doing?

I looks at me for a second before she speaks. "Thank you." Brittany says quietly and ducks her head. She looks so shy all of a sudden.

"For what?" I ask thoroughly confused.

Brittany shrugs. "For sitting with me this afternoon. I know you were probably bored to death. It's just- I really appreciate it, okay?"

"O-okay." I say hesitantly. I'm expecting her to say something else. Explain what she means. Something. When she doesn't a quirk an eyebrow at her.

"I- I've never- had anyone in my room." She stutters out in a hushed voice, keeping her head down.

I lean in a little closer so that I can hear better. I realize quickly that my position is too uncomfortable, I rearrange my legs so that I am sitting like Brittany is. Indian-style. We are facing each other and there are only a couple of inches between our knees before they would touch.

"What about Danny?" I'm not sure what I'm suppose to say. I don't know what to ask so I start with the most logical thing I can think of. Surely Danny has been in Brittany's room. Wait, what is their relationship again? Maybe this is his room too. I look around the room quickly. No. There isn't anything in here that represents him.

Brittany cocks her head to side. She looks up at me now. "What about him? He comes in my room sometimes, but it's only briefly, for seconds or minutes at a time. Why do you ask?"

Crap. Why am I asking? I lick my lips quickly. Why are they so dry? "I was just curious, I guess. I just wondered where he sleeps." I try to shrug my question off as not a big deal.

"Certainly not with me." Brittany chuckles lightly.

I duck my head in embarrassment. "Oh." I mumble. My fingers fiddle nervously with the hem of my shirt.

"Wait." Brittany says sounding surprised. I look up to see her face. She looks a little confused. "You thought Danny was my-" She starts and stops and bites her lower lip. "-you thought we were sleeping together?"

I have to look down again. "Maybe." I shrug. This whole thing isn't very professional of me. The undercover detective part of me feels pretty beat up right now. The non-cop part of me has gotten the best of me today. I don't know what it is about Brittany that makes me forget that I'm on an undercover operation.

She's laughing at me. I suppose I deserve that for thinking Brittany and Danny were a couple. I should have known better I guess. It's just the way he is around Brittany that gave me that impression.

"So, if you're not a- couple- is he your dad?" I ask hoping to god that I get it right this time. My ego can't take another hit today.

Brittany just laughs more. There goes any shred of dignity I had. I feel like a complete fraud right now. I virtually know nothing about the girl that sits before me. She's still the same mystery that she was on the first day that I met her. Some detective I am.

Well, I guess I know a few things about her, but not from her telling me through words. I know her mannerisms. I know her smiles. I know how kind, and caring, and nice she is. But, that isn't anything concrete. That isn't anything I can use in my undercover case against her.

I wait for her to calm down and stop laughing. When she does she leans forward a little and reaches out with both of her hands. She takes my hands with hers and I let her. She looks directly into my eyes. "I'm gonna tell you my story now. You were right. Everyone has a story."

I can only nod like an idiot. She somehow renders me speechless when she my hands in her grip.

"Bear with me. So, I told you I've lived here since I was sixteen. That's true. I have." Brittany stops and takes a big deep breath. "Here we go." She squeezes me hands gently. "I've known Danny most of my life. I think I've known him since I was like five or six. My parents and Danny were best friends. My dad actually worked for Danny. But, back when he had a more legitimate business. That business failed though and Danny got into drugs. My dad couldn't find another job, so after six months of looking he came to Danny for a job. Danny gladly gave my dad a job. Anyway, my parents died when I was sixteen and Danny took me in. I've been living here ever since."

Brittany finishes and looks away from me.

My heart drops in my chest. That's so sad. I'm happy that she told me something about herself, but now I know why she didn't want to. Brittany still has a grip on my hands. I start rubbing my thumbs over the backs of her hands and her eyes snap back to me. They are a little wider than normal and maybe a little wetter too.

I don't ask her to tell me anything else, but she swallows and starts up again. "I am not and never have had sex with Danny. That's just gross to think about." She giggles a little and the mood in the room lightens. "I actually have my eye on someone right now."

I cock my head to the side. I have so many questions, but the first one is who she has her eye on. She smiling a little, but it's a sort of sad smile. I keep rubbing my thumbs over her skin hoping that it's calming.

"I'm sorry." I whisper after it's quiet for a while.

She scrunches her face up in confusion. It's really cute actually. "For what?"

"For your parents." I shrug and look away.

"Oh." She breathes out. I have to look back to her again. I just can't keep my eyes off of her. I don't want to see Brittany sad. She's too nice of a person to be sad. I'm not exactly sure how old she is, but her parents death has to have been over five years ago already. I watch her for a few seconds hoping that I didn't do something stupid and she isn't gonna start crying. I won't know what to do then. I'm not good with crying.

She stares back at me but it doesn't look like she's gonna cry. Brittany actually looks like she's wants to say something. She opens and closes her mouth a few times but no words come out.

"What?" I prompt.

"I- stay with me tonight?" She asks.

I tilt my head to the side. That's the plan, isn't it? I have to stay in this house, like last night.

"I mean-" She must she the confusion on my face. "-stay with me- in my room." Her words are rushed. Brittany takes a deep breath. "Will you sleep in my room tonight, Eva?"

I flinch. A physical jolt. First, because she used the name Eva. She hasn't used my name all day. I had forgotten that was even what these people call me. Second, because she just asked me to sleep in her room with her tonight and not on the floor in the guest room where Sugar is sleeping.

That reminds me. "What about Sugar?"

Brittany chuckles, but it's not a lighthearted chuckle. It sounds almost evil. I don't believe it. I don't believe what she says next either.

"Fuck, Sugar. That bitch doesn't like me. She can sleep all by herself. Actually, I think she would prefer it."

"Oh." I think about it for a minute. "I think it's because you sit in on meetings and don't ever say anything."

"Whatever, she hates me. I don't care." Brittany huffs.

"What's up with that anyway?" I ask. This is my chance to get some information out of Brittany. I've gotten her to open up and reveal things about herself now it time for her to reveal info on Danny and the whole group.

Brittany shrugs. "It's not my place to say anything to anyone about any of Danny's business. I just sit in on thing because I don't have anything better to do."

It's now that it dawns on me what Brittany was thanking me for before. She's lonely. She doesn't have anything to do all day long. She probably doesn't get out of the house a lot. Friends, if she has any, don't just swing by to visit. It's clear that she doesn't have a job outside of this house. She's lonely and looking for someone to spend time with and for something to do. That's why she does the cooking and the dishes. I bet she even cleans the house too.

"Oh, Britt." I sigh. I truly feel bad for her. "Why don't you get out of the house? Get away from here. You could get a job. Or get your own place."

She ducks her head so I can't see her face anymore. "Cuz I feel safe here. Danny doesn't want me going out of the house unsupervised. If I'm not with him or Karofsky or Fitz I can't go anywhere. But, I feel safe here. Danny is like my dad. He's not my dad, I know that. But, after my parents died he promised he wouldn't let anything happen to me. I don't know anything else."

Wow. Just wow. This girl has had such a hard life. I definitely don't blame her for staying here, but she could be so much better off away from this place. Happier.

"I'll stay with you tonight." I whisper.

Brittany's head pops up and she has the biggest smile on her face. She went from sad and lonely to happy just like that. She leans forwards and throws her arms around my neck. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." She mumbles into the skin of my neck.

Her hot breath on my neck sends a shiver down my spine. I tell myself it's just because I've been undercover for a while now and haven't been able to get laid.

"Okay, Britt." I say and pat her back with my hands. She keeps tight in our embrace though.

* * *

"Hey Eva?"

I'm sitting on the bed watching tv and Brittany is standing over at her dresser with her back to me. After I told Brittany that I would sleep in her room tonight it took a while for her to calm down. She was like an excited kid on Christmas morning. It was endearing to see someone so excited about something so seemingly simple. But, then again, it's not that simple for her.

"Yeah?" I say, not taking my attention away from the tv.

"I'm gonna go change into pajamas. Do you want something to wear for the night? I know you've been wearing those clothes you have on for two days now." Brittany speaks, but doesn't turn to face me. I can see her fiddling with something on the top of the dresser.

"Sure. If you wouldn't mind."

Brittany spins around faster than I can blink. "Here ya go. I'll change in the bathroom. You can change when I'm gone." I stare at the clothing that she is holding out to me in her hand. She clearly had this all planned before she spoke up about it. I blink a few times and try to act normal again. Does she have some sort of ulterior motive?

"Thanks." I say. Brittany smiles very big and nods vigorously. In a flash she is out of the room. I don't know how she has all of this energy all of a sudden. We sat on her bed and did nothing for most of the day. Now that it's time to go to sleep she seems to have extra energy. She definitely has more energy than I have right now. I am actually tired. It might have something to do with the fact that last night I slept on the floor. I don't even know how long I slept last night. It was a very stressful evening yesterday. I'm actually surprised that I'm not more tired right now.

I stand up from the bed and take my clothes off and put the clothes Brittany gave to me on. Brittany could come back in here at any second. She probably won't take long to change. I don't want to get caught with my pants down, so to speak. Once I'm clothed I look down at what I have on. I long sleeved shirt and fuzzy pajama pants with little dogs on them. The clothes are a little big on me, but I guess that's to be expected. They are probably Brittany's and she is a little bigger than me, taller.

The door swings open as I crawl back onto the bed. I look over my shoulder to see Brittany standing in the door staring at me. I flop down on the bed when I realize my ass is up in the air as I crawl across the bed. I flip over so that my ass is against the bed. When I get situated I look over at Brittany. She's still standing there, staring, but not at me anymore. She's staring off into space.

I feel self-conscious all of a sudden. Why was she staring? Was she staring at me? Was she staring at my ass or her clothes that I am wearing? When she doesn't make a more I lower my chin to my chest and clear my throat.

"Wha?" Brittany says. I look over at her again. She's snapped out of whatever that little spell was.

"I didn't say anything." I let her know.

"Right." She narrows her eyes and looks around the room. It's like she is searching for something. "Do you want to sleep now? Light on or light off? Which side of the bed do you want? I could sleep on the floor, next to the bed, if you are uncomfortable."

I can't help but giggle. She's rambling and it's very cute. "Brittany, it's fine."

"Right." She mumbles and reaches out with her hand. She swats at the light switch. The whole room descends into darkness. There is a little light coming in through the window, but it doesn't help much. I can no longer see her.

I hear Brittany, though, as she moves around the darkened bedroom. I don't know exactly where she is though. It's quiet. Almost too quiet.

"Boo." Brittany yells and jumps on the bed next to me.

I jump away from her or where I think she is. I scramble, but start falling. There's a loud thud as I hit the floor. "Ow." I groan. I hit my elbow on the floor pretty hard. There might be a bruise on it later on, that's how hard I hit it. I think my elbow broke most of my fall, actually.

"Oh my god. Are you okay?" Brittany asks. I can hear the genuine concern in her voice.

"Yeah. I'll be okay. I banged my elbow pretty hard though."

"Should I turn the light back on." She asks.

"No. No. I'm good." I push myself up off the floor and climb back onto the bed.

"Are you sure?" She asks again.

I chuckle. "I'm fine Britt." I try to convince her.

"Cuz if not I can get ice and bandages or a doctor?" She says in a rush. She sounds frantic now. "I know how to do CPR? Do you need CPR?"

I want to laugh so bad, but I know she isn't joking. Brittany is dead serious. "No. I'm fine. I swear." The best thing I can do right now is show her that I am fine. I get off the bed and go over to the light switch and flick it on.

When I turn to Brittany her eyes are already on me. She gets out of bed and starts walking towards me. Her eyes are scanning my body for any injuries, looking up and down and up and down. I would feel uncomfortable in any other situation with her looking at me like that, but right now I know she is just concerned. "See, I'm fine. No cuts, no scrapes, no blood. I'm still breathing. I'm not missing any body parts. I'm perfectly fine, Britt."

She stops right in front of me. Her eyes stop searching when I stop talking and looks me square in the eyes. She's just staring and that is making me a little uncomfortable.

I break the silence. "What?"

Brittany takes one more step closer to me. She's so close I can see the intensity in her eyes. They are so dark and so focused. She reaches up with both of her hands. They come up and take a hold of my face. Her hands cup around my ears. "I'm sorry." She whispers, so lightly that I barely here it.

"Brittany, it's o-" I don't get to finish my sentence because she presses her lips against mine. I don't know if surprised is the right word to use, but I am certainly surprised. I'm frozen stock still. I cant do anything. I can't move.

I don't know how much time passes, but Brittany takes a step backwards. She's still has a hold of my face though. I don't know what to do. I don't know if I can even do anything. I feel like I'm paralyzed. As soon as her lips met mine everything in my body froze up. I can see her looking at me. She bites her bottom lip between her teeth.

Brittany lets go of my face and drops her hands to her sides. "I'm sorry." She whispers and looks down at her feet. Something clicks in me when she says I'm sorry. I blink a few times and try to get my bearings around me. "I didn't mean to. Well, I meant to but-" Brittany continues.

"Brittany, stop." I finally say.

She snaps her head up and her eyes lock with mine. "I'm sorry." She says again.

"Stop saying you're sorry, please." I step forward and put a hand on her shoulder. She flinches and tenses up a little.

Brittany looks so sad. Right now I would do just about anything to get this girl to smile again.

She ducks her chin to her chest. "I just- I don't know- I like you." Brittany sighs at the end.

I squeeze her shoulder. "I like you too, Brittany. You're like the nicest person ever. I'm glad because if you weren't nice I would probably be sleeping on the floor again tonight." I joke.

Brittany looks up with a little smile on her face. I feel a ton better just because she is smiling. Brittany is a person that should always be smiling. Her smile is so pretty. It lights up the whole room.

"Do you really like me?" Brittany asks timidly.

"Yeah, I really like you." It's not a lie. I like her. I'll admit that.

"Does that mean I can kiss you again?" Brittany asks with a little smirk.

I don't know what I should tell her. I did enjoy the kiss, but I shouldn't be kissing her. I shouldn't be kissing anyone while I'm undercover. But, I feel bad for Brittany. She's had a hard time and now her I am and she likes me. I don't know if it's a serious thing for her or if it's just because she's lonely and doesn't get a lot of human contact. I also feel guilty. Now that I know her story and I know a little about her I don't want to use her to gain information for my undercover investigation. But, at the same time, I know that's what I need to do and will probably be exact what I do. I am not a real person. To her I am drug dealer Eva Garcia. And when I do get the information that I need and this is all over, I will go back to my real life and forget this ever happened. It's not fair to her.

I shrug. I don't want to tell her yes and I don't want to tell her no. Brittany grins like a fool. Well, at least I got that smile back on her face. Her smiles makes me smile. She leans in and presses our lips together for a second time. This time I can actually feel it. I'm not frozen. I kiss her back. She presses her lips around my top lip and then switches to press her lips around my bottom lip. Brittany's lips are so gentle and soft when she kisses me.

"Mmm." Brittany hums and releases me from the kiss. She takes a step back and smiles shyly at me. My tongue pokes out a swipes across my lips to get a taste of Brittany. I watch her and she watches me.

"I'm actually really tired. You wanna go to bed?" I break the silence with my question. I don't know what I'm feeling right now. I don't want to talk about it with her. I just need some time to think. So, when I say I want to go to bed it's to avoid all that.

Brittany nods timidly. I take her by the hand and turn off the light. I lead Brittany over to the bed and we both crawl into bed, under the covers. It's a pretty big bed. I don't know if it's a queen or king but it's plenty big for the two of us.

Making sure there is a little space between us, I turn on my side so that I am facing Brittany. She is facing me already. As my eyes adjust to the light in the room I can see her a little better. There's a small, happy smile on her face. She's so cute all cuddled up under the covers.

"You're so cute." I whisper to her.

Brittany buries her face in her pillow and it makes me giggle. After yesterday I shouldn't feel this good and lighthearted. I was shot at just one day ago. But, I feel almost happy. It's hard to explain. I think Brittany's presence has a lot to do with it.

After a few second Brittany looks back to me. "Can I kiss you again?" She whispers.

I nod without hesitation. I scoot closer to her and Brittany leans towards me at the same time. I close my eyes and our lips press together. It's quick and simple, but also soft. Brittany pulls back and I open my eyes. She has a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Goodnight, Eva." She whispers.

My eyes widen at the name. "G-goodnight." I stutter.

The thing is, tonight I haven't been acting as Eva.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sexytime in this chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The first thing I recognize when I wake up, before I even open my eyes, is a pressure on my chest. I'm laying on my back. Then I feel warm. Warmer than I should be. Even before I can open my eyes I know that it's light outside, daytime. A little noise has my eyes snapping open.

I try and look down at my body to see what the pressure is from. What's sitting on my chest? I can't see much of anything except for blonde hair. Ah, it makes sense now. The noise must have come from Brittany. And I'm warmer than I should be because Brittany is cuddle into my side. She has her head on my chest and an arm laying across my waist.

It's nice. I smile a little. It's nice to wake up with someone. It's even nicer to wake up with someone snuggled up to you.

I remember back to last night and frown. Brittany. I feel bad for her. I start running my fingers through her hair. She has the most beautiful blonde hair. Brittany stirs a little but doesn't wake up.

"Shhh." I hush. It's totally unnecessarily but something in me makes me shush her. She's asleep there's no reason to try and calm her, but I realize that's exactly what I'm doing. The fingers through her hair. The hushed whisper I sent her way. Maybe it's not her I'm trying to calm.

Several minutes pass before Brittany actually starts to wake up. At first her legs twitch and then her toes wiggle against my leg. I don't look down to see if she has her eyes open, but I know that she does and that she is awake now. Her grip on my waist tightened and she flinched a little.

"Good morning, Britt." I whisper.

Brittany starts to move her head until I can see her face. She's smiling. She just woke up and already she's smiling. "I like it when you call me, Britt." She says then buries her face in my chest. I take in a sharp breath and hope that she didn't hear it. It's quiet for a few seconds and Brittany soon rests her cheek against my chest again. "What time is it?" She asks without looking up.

I don't know. That's a good question. I look at my watch quickly. "It's after eight."

Brittany's head snaps up and she looks at me with wide, scared eyes. Before I can even ask her what's wrong she jumps out of bed. She gets tangled in the bed sheets and stumbles before recovering. "What's the problem?" I ask sitting up on my elbows.

"I'm late." Brittany tells me as she hurries over to the bedroom door. "I need to make breakfast for Danny." She says as she exits the room.

"Oh." I mumble after she's gone. My brow furrows together. Brittany told me that she isn't involved with Danny. But why does she have to make breakfast for him and why was she so upset about being late. I don't really know Danny, but I don't think he would be too mad if his breakfast was late. At least, not at Brittany. Can't he make his own damn breakfast anyway?

I get up and go over to my clothes that I left in the corner of the room last night. I pick them up and look at them. I don't really want to put them back on. Bringing the shirt to my face I take a whiff. Stinky, but not too noticeable. I could really use a shower right now. It's been over two days since I've showered and I can feel the grim on my skin. But, at the same time I don't know if that's a possibility. I'm not sure if I can just ask to take a shower. I feel uncomfortable just thinking about it.

I take off the pajamas that Brittany gave me and put my clothes back on. I fold the pajamas neatly and set them on the end of the bed. Brittany will see them and do whatever she wants with them. Wash them probably. I look around the room one time before I go to the door to leave.

When I get downstairs Brittany is at the stove. There is already a plate of bacon on the counter and it looks like she is working on making waffles. I go over and stand next to her. I put my right hand on the small of her back. She visibly relaxes at me touch. I feel her muscles loosen. I didn't know she was so tense. Her shoulders slump a little and her back unstiffens.

"Do you want help?" I ask softly.

She shakes her head.

A second later Danny and Karofsky come into the kitchen. Brittany looks over her shoulder at them. "I'm sorry. It will be a few minutes yet. I overslept." She apologizes.

I turn to see Danny. He has his brow furrow together in confusion. He is looking at Brittany but not at her face. Shit. I slide my hand off of her back and stick it in my pocket. I slowly shift away from her and go over to the table.

"That's fine." Danny says and both men sit down at the table with me. I look down at my lap. I can't make eye contact with Danny not after what just happened. He caught me with my hand on Brittany's back. I don't know what his rules are, but I don't want to get on his bad side. I don't know if it's against the rules to be in relationships with others within the ring. Not that I am in a relationship with Brittany or anything.

"Eva?"

As much as I don't want to, I have to look up and over at Danny. I can feel the scolding I'm gonna get before he says anything else. I slowly lift my eyes to meet his. His brow is still wrinkled together and he has a scowl on his face.

"Yes?"

He swallows before he speaks. "You can go home at any time that you want today. It should be clear. Karofsky and I did a sweep this morning already. We didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I would just use extra caution if I were you. Maybe leave here and go straight home. I can arrange a ride for you, if you'd like."

"Oh. That's good news." I comment. "Can I think about it? About the ride, I mean?"

"Sure thing." Danny nods.

"Okay, here's the bacon. The waffles are coming right up." Brittany says as she sets a plate of bacon on the table.

I would think that Danny and Karofsky would dig right in and claim their food. Karofsky does. But Danny waits until Karofsky takes a few pieces then in surprise to me he nods. It's sort of a nod towards the plate of bacon. "Go ahead." He tells me.

I smile and reach for a few pieces. I put them on my plate with a small thank you to Danny. He's nicer than maybe I had thought. He at least has manners.

When the waffles are on the table Sugar wanders into the kitchen. She looks like crap. It looks like she hasn't slept in days. But, if she hasn't been sleeping upstairs in that room, what has she been doing? Has the shooting the other night taken that much of a toll on her? Is that what I'm seeing right now? Someone who can't get around the fact that they were shot at a few days ago.

I guess I took it pretty easily. But, I am a police detective. I am trained for that sort of thing. I've been involved in shootings before. I've shot at people before. Maybe that has just desensitized me.

Danny, Karofsky, Sugar, and I all sit at the table and eat. About halfway through my meal I look over at Brittany. She was still making waffles after we all started eating. But now, she is sitting on the countertop with a plate in one hand and a fork in the other. She has bacon and waffles of her own on her plate. It's just too bad that there aren't enough places at the table for all of us it sit.

Danny informed Sugar that she could leave. As soon as she was done eating she got up and left the house. Karofsky was the next to go. He finished up and mumbled a few words to Danny then left. I finished eating before Danny, but didn't want to leave yet.

When he gets done eating he wipes his face and stands up. "So, have you decided on that ride?" He asks me.

"Oh, I haven't." I didn't even think about it.

"Ok." The man shrugs. "If you decide you want a ride just let Brittany know. She can set it up." Danny nods towards Brittany who has started doing the dishes. He reaches into his sweatshirt pocket and pulls out a little brown paper bag. "I want you back within thirty-six hours. Sells this and come back. Got it?" He's a little more stern with his instructions than ever before.

"Got it." I nod.

Danny gives me a tight-lipped smile, then leaves. I pick up my plate and go with it over to the sink. Standing next to Brittany, I bump her in the hip with my own. She looks over at me and smiles. "Move over. It's my turn." I tell her. She furrows her brow. "I'm gonna wash my own dirty dishes." I add. When I bump into her hip again she takes a step to the side.

I start washing my dirty dishes and when I am done with mine I start where Brittany left off.

"Hey. What are you doing?" Brittany ask as she sees that I'm doing the rest of the dishes.

"Just helpin' out. It's the least I can do." I shrug. I feel like it's just a little thing that I can do for Brittany to help repay her for her kindness and hospitality the last couple of days. She made staying in this house a whole hell of a lot better. I don't know what I would have done without her.

"Thanks." She says quietly. I look over at her. She is looking down at the countertop, picking at the edge. She looks shy again.

"I should be thanking you." I tell her sincerely.

"Why?" Her eyes meet mine, but she looks confused.

"For letting me stay with you last night." Sure, at the time I thought I was the one helping her out. Helping her be less lonely. But now I realize she helped me out as well.

"When are you gonna leave?" Brittany asks.

I shrug. There isn't really a need for me to stick around here any longer. Danny said I was free to leave whenever, so there's nothing holding me back. "Probably right away."

I can see Brittany faces fall. She disappointed. Sad. I immediately feel bad. I know she has liked having me around the last few days. "I'll be back." I add hoping to cheer her up a little. "Don't worry."

Brittany nods but she still looks really sad.

I finish up the dishes and neither one of us says anything. When I'm finished, and I've dried off my hands, I turn to face Brittany. She's got those sad puppy dog eyes and that sad puppy dog face. It's kills me. She should be smiling.

"Smile." I whisper. "Please."

The corners of Brittany's lips twitch like she wants to smile. "Why?" She asks trying her hardest not to crack a smile.

"Because your smile is nice. It's so pretty." I tell her honestly. "You should always be smiling."

Brittany ducks her chin to her chest. I reach out with my hand, I tuck two fingers under her chin, and left up slowly until she can look at me again. Brittany tries to look away from me, but I hold her chin steady.

I step closer to her so that we are toe to toe. Brittany's eyes widen a little as I lean in closer. I smile into the kiss that a press to her lips. I press a kiss to her bottom lip before pecking her upper lip too. When I pull back I let go of her chin. My eyes open to her wonderful smile.

"That's more like it." I joke. Brittany giggles and her cheeks pink up in a bit of a blush. "I'm gonna go now."

"D-did you want a ride? I could get Fitz to take you?" Brittany offers.

I wrinkle my face up. I don't like that Fitz guy. He seems like an arrogant asshole. He dresses like he thinks he's the shit when actually he's a great big douche bag. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'll walk. I could use the fresh air."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow."

Brittany faces brightens up at that. Her smile gets bigger and her eyes light up too. "Okay." She says and bites her bottom lip. She's too cute.

"Bye, Britt." I say as I turn away from her. As a walk out of the kitchen into the main room, the meeting room, I hear Brittany say goodbye. I can't turn around because I think if I did I wouldn't be leaving right now.

I weave my way through the room of folding chairs to the door for the garage, then out the garage, and into the open air of the outdoors. Everything looks the same as the last time I was outside. I glance down the street to where Sugar and I were shot at the other day. If you weren't there you wouldn't even know a shooting took place there. One last lingering look and I turn in the opposite direction and starts for home.

* * *

When I return to the drug house the next day I am reminded of what happened the last time I was here. From the shooting, to talking with Brittany, to staying overnight, it all runs through my mind. But the one thing that hasn't left my mind since I was here last was the kiss, or kisses. I tried my hardest but kissing Brittany was about the only thing I've been able to think of in the last day.

Karofsky lets me in and I enter the meeting room. Danny is there, but so is that Irish kid. No sign of Brittany though. They are talking quietly. So quietly that I can't hear what they are saying though. I take a seat and wait.

It's a few minutes, maybe four or five, before they finish and the Irish leaves. On his way out he nods his head at me and tugs on the bill of the cap that he's wearing. I nod back out of courteous.

Without saying anything Danny motions for me to come forward. I do. I get up out of my folding chair and go to the front of the room to stand before the leader.

"How are you doing? With the shooting and everything?" Danny asks as soon as I am standing still.

That's a very good question. I'm not having too much trouble with it. It's always hard when you get shot at, whether that's in a police uniform or undercover. I'm not having any problems with the shooting aspect of it all. I've had a few issues with possible future shooting or similar scenarios. There's nervousness about that. But what's happened in the past doesn't bother me. It's what could happen in the future that has me worried.

"I'm okay, sir. That first night was a little rough, but I think I'm getting over it now."

"That's good. If you have any problems. Mental or otherwise just let me know." Danny says and he smiles. It's not a smug smile or an evil smile or anything like that. It's a genuine, warm smile. I'm seriously starting to think that Danny is an alright guy. Aside from the drug business that he runs. He's taken Brittany in and treated her as his own flesh and blood when he didn't have to. That's a good guy.

"Now, with our recent _issues_ around here things are going to stay the same for a while. I was thinking of upping your involvement in the crew but now we are gonna hold off on that for a while. Probably a couple weeks. Until I know everything is settled down and there are no turf wars going on. You understand?"

"I do."

"Good. I am going to get you your normal assignment. It's been good talking with you. I must go now. Karofsky will be in in a few."

I nod. "Okay." Danny stands from his throne chair and walks over to the door. I take a seat in the closest folding chair to wait for Karofsky to bring me my product. I wonder where the blonde woman could be. I think I've seen Brittany here every time that I've been here. It's strange that she hasn't shown up yet. I told her I would come back today. I thought for sure that she would be here. Maybe even waiting for me to show up.

Minutes pass and finally the door opens. I stand up to meet Karofsky so I can get my drugs and get out of here. When I look over, though, it's not Karofsky that enters the room.

"What are you doing with that?" I ask frantically when I see the brown paper bag in Brittany's right hand.

She just shrugs. I start walking over to her. She meets me halfway. I snatch the bag out of her hand, maybe more harshly then necessarily.

"I told Karofsky that I would give it to you. When I saw that you were here I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see you." Brittany tells me, but looks down at her toes.

I want to scold Brittany for handling the drugs, but when she says things like that I can't. She wants to see me. Plus, it's probably not the first time she has had something to do with dealing drugs. I'm sure she's seen enough and been around enough to know what's what. I'm guessing she's not as innocent as she seems.

"Will you come upstairs with me?" Her voice brings me from my thoughts.

She finally makes eye contact with me. I can see her eyes pleading. Begging me to say yes. Begging me to agree and come with her.

But, I can't. I can't get in too deep with her. The other day that was one thing, but I can't let it get passed that. Sure, we kissed and, sure, it felt great, but that's not part of why I'm here. I'm here for information.

"No. I should probably go."

Brittany scrunches up her face. "Really? You just got here. Can't you stay for at least a little while?"

"Not really. Got stuff to do." I lift the little brown bag in front of her face and jiggle it a little.

Brittany sticks her bottom lip out. She's pouting. "Not even for a little while?" That pout all but paralyzes me. I think back to yesterday and the day before and how she just wanted someone to hangout with.

A sigh escapes me. "Okay. But only for a little bit."

"Yay!" Brittany pumps her fist in the air.

I laugh softly. How could I think I would deny her this? Why did I think it was okay not to see her smiling? Now that she has a smile on her face none of that matters.

"Let's go upstairs." Brittany reaches her hand out to me. I slip my palm in hers and she leads the way into the kitchen and then up the back staircase.

Brittany pushes her bedroom door open and pulls me inside behind her. I turn to shut the door. When I turn back to face Brittany she is inches from me. She has a devilish little smirk on her face.

"What?" I ask.

She shakes her head slightly and closes the distance between us. Her lips collide with mine and she pushes me back. I stumble backwards into the door with a thud. Brittany pulls her lips off of me with a little giggle. "Sorry." She mumbles. "Got a little eager."

I stand there stiff. I'm not sure what to do.

Brittany's hand comes up and cups my face. She, slower this time, leans in and presses her lips to mine. Brittany wraps her lips around my bottom lip before switching to my top. She pulls her lips from mine for a split second before connecting them again. It's this time that I finally realize what's happening and manage to kiss her back. I take her bottom lip between mine and give it a little tug. A small moan escape from Brittany's. I let go of her lip and she pulls away from me so that there is a small space between our faces.

She stares at me for a second. Brittany takes her hand off my face and grabs ahold of one of my hands. She turns around and tugs me behind her over to her bed. Brittany sits down on the edge of her bed. She tugs me forward until I'm standing between her legs. I don't resist, it's like she's got a spell on me.

Brittany looks up into my eyes and smiles gently. I feel her fingertips on my skin and look down. She has her fingers underneath my t-shirt where my leather jacket hangs open. Her fingertips play over the skin of my stomach. It sends a chill through my body.

"W-what are you d-doing?" I ask shakily.

"I like you." Is Brittany's response. She stands up and her hands wrap around the material of my jacket and pulls it off my shoulders. I shrug out of the jacket and it falls to the floor. Brittany's hands come to rest on my hips. My hands fly to her face. I cup her cheeks and pull Brittany's lips to mine and kiss her hard.

It's like a switch is flicked inside me. I push Brittany back until she falls onto the bed. My body follows hers and I end up straddling her hips.

The kiss turns deeper. I swipe my tongue over Brittany's bottom lip. She parts her lips wider and I slide my tongue inside her mouth. When our tongues collide I moan into her mouth. Brittany rolls her tongue against mine. It's a battle for control.

After some time of fierce kissing I pull back and look down at Brittany. She staring back at me. There's something that I don't recognize behind her eyes. I reach down and grab the bottom of my t-shirt and yank the material up over my head. When my eyes meet Brittany's again after I throw the shirt behind me her eyes are a little wide but that look is still there. The one I don't recognize.

I fall back down and land with one hand on each side of Brittany's head. She smirks up at me and I connect our lips again. I'm about to slip my tongue into Brittany's mouth again when she wraps an arm around my back. Next, I'm flipping through the air and Brittany is on top of me.

Brittany looks down at me with that devilish smirk from before. She pulls her shirt over her head and then wiggles out of her pants. It's the hottest thing I've ever seen. She somehow does this all without getting off of me or off the bed. Brittany places one knee on either side of me and then bend at the waist.

At first I think she is going for my lips. I wrap one hand around the back of her neck and start to pull her lips to mine. At the last second, she changes direction and attaches her lips to my neck.

"Oh." I moan out. That's different. Brittany sucks at my neck and I pull to hold her closer to me. She moves her mouth from just under my ear, down the column of my neck, then moves to the hollow of my collarbone. She swirls her tongue around and it has me wiggling underneath her.

Brittany drives her hips into mine to get me to sit still. At least, that's what I think. She continues to travel down my chest, with her lips, in between my breasts. Whatever she is doing it's driving me absolutely crazy. She's just kissing me and I feel like I'm gonna explode. I've never felt this worked up with just someone kissing me.

"B-britt." She detaches her lips from my skin and looks up at me. Her head cocked to the side, a dopey expression on her face. I don't know what to say. I reach out down and unbutton my jeans. The recognition takes over Brittany's face. She comes close to my face again with her own. Brittany takes my earlobe into her mouth and sucks. She slides one hand down my stomach and into my jeans and underwear.

"Ugh." I groan and buck my hips into her hand.

"Easy tiger." Brittany husks into my ear.

"Oh god." I moan. She sounds so sexy. Brittany slips her finger through me. I can feel that I am absolutely soaked. How did she do that?

Brittany makes tight circles around my clit at the same time her tongue licks the shell of my ear. I lift my hips up off the bed, searching for more. She slides a finger inside and works in and out, in and out.

My hands find anything I can grip onto. One hand is fisted in the bed sheets the other has a grip around Brittany's neck.

She slips her finger out of me and circle that amazing bundle of nerves again. All it takes is a few strokes and I'm gone. My back aches off the bed and my breathing seizes. It's pure ecstasy.

When I come down Brittany is nibbling at the skin of my neck lightly. Little pecks and flutters of her lips across my skin.

"Brittany?" I ask, sounding out of breath.

"Yeah?"

"What the fuck was that?" I ask.

She giggles. "I don't know. Like I said, I like you."

"Well-" I slide my hand in between our bodies. "I like you too." I tell her as I slide my hand into her underwear. "Holy shit, Brittany. You're fucking drenched."

"I _really _like you." She mumbles against my neck. I work my fingers through her folds. They slides easily through her and I position two fingers at her center. I hold there for a second. Am I really about to do this? I take a deep breath and slip inside of Brittany. The blonde moans into my ear where her head still rests and she grinds her hips into my hand. I rub my thumb over her clit a few times and that gets Brittany going even more.

I have to admit this is really hot. Like the hottest thing that's happened to me since I was in the police academy. Don't get me wrong, I've definitely had sex since then but nothing like this. This woman and these circumstances make it hot and even risky which just makes it hotter.

It doesn't take long, I'm not surprised with how wet she was, before I fell Brittany's muscles squeezing around my fingers. I bring my thumb back into play, flicking over her, as I pump in and out of her.

"Eva." She breathes in my ear as her orgasm hits her.

My whole body freezes. I'm suppose to be Eva right now, not Santana. But, somehow I forgot that.

Brittany goes slack against me, I pull out of her and wipe my hand on the sheets.

"That was amazing." She pants into my ear.

"It was." I agree.

Brittany wraps an arm over my waist and cuddles into my side. "Britt." I try to push her off of me. "I- we- Brittany."

"Hmm?"

"I gotta get going." I tell her and try and slip out from underneath her. I wiggle and struggle before I can slide out of the bed. Brittany curls into herself. Her eyes are heavy, hooded. She looks like she's seconds from sleep.

"No." She whines. "Don't leave me." She sounds so desperate as the words slip from her lips. "Please."

My heart breaks for her.

"I can't. I have to go." I look around for my clothes and start pulling them on. "I have work to do." I tell her.

"Hmm." Brittany hums and crawls under the bed sheets, pulling them up over her chest. "Do it later."

"I can't. I have to go." I finally get all of my clothes on. Where's that brown bag though? I look around the room. I spot it peeking out underneath Brittany's shirt. "I'll see you later. Okay?"

"O-kay." She yawns. "Bye, Eva."

There's that name again. I freeze and look over at Brittany. She has her eyes closed tight. I'm not sure if she's awake or asleep. She looks so at peace right now. But, I have to leave.

I tip-toe out of the room and shut the door behind me. I slip my leather jacket on and stick the brown paper bag in the pocket. I make my way to the stairs as fast as I can. I run down the stairs, through the kitchen, through the meeting room, and out to the garage. I don't run into anybody which is good because I'm trying to get out of her as quickly as I can.

Once I get outside the house I can finally take a deep breath. Looking around to make sure no one spots me, I walk down the driveway to the sidewalk and start my journey back to my apartment.

The further away from the house I get the guiltier I feel. By the time I get back 'home' I feel like absolute shit.

* * *

I get inside the crappy building and rush up the stairs. I fumble with the keys before I can get them in the lock and open the apartment door. I step inside and slam the door shut. With my back against the door I take a few deep breaths to try and calm myself down. My heart is beating faster than normal. My palms are sweaty. My thoughts are racing.

I hurry over to the fridge and pull the door open. I reach inside and pull out a bottle of beer. The cap pops off and I put the bottle to my lips, tip the bottle back, and chug the beer as fast as I can.

When it's empty I set it down on the counter and hang my head over the sink, sucking in much needed air.

After a few minutes the beer starts to infiltrates my system. I start to feel calmer and everything slows down. Pushing myself away from the counter I go back to the fridge and pull out another beer. I open it but this time take only one small drink. Taking the remaining four bottles of the six pack, I go over to the bed and sit down. I set the pack of beer on the floor and turn on the small tv that I got for the apartment.

It's really small, only seventeen inches or something like that. Whatever, it's not like I can get a forty inch tv for this undercover apartment that I have. It just something to get me by while I'm undercover. The tv gives me something to do with my free time.

I take my jacket off. The coke is still in the pocket. I'll have to remember to put it in the dresser drawer tomorrow. Right now, for the rest of the night, all I'm gonna do is drink and watch tv. Try and forget what I just did.

* * *

When I return to the drug house nearly two days have passed. I've got Danny's money in my pocket and I'm looking for more product to move. Same old, same old.

Karofsky escorts me into the meeting room upon arrival. Danny sits in his throne chair but he's the only one at the front of the room. No Brittany. I am both relieved and disappointed at the lack of her presence. There's just something about her. Her presence just draws me in.

The shaggy haired man from about a week ago is back. He sits in one of the seats with his hands stuffed into his pockets. There is another guy sitting a few chairs away from him. They don't look like they are associated with each other though.

Danny spots me and calls me forward. I hand over the money as soon as I can reach him. Danny starts counting. I don't know what would happen if I didn't have the correct amount of money. And I don't want to find out. He splits some off and hands it back to me.

"I'm gonna have you do something different today. We're gonna start getting you more involved with the group." Danny says around puffs off his cigar. He blows the smoke out, it lingers around my face, and I try my hardest not to cough as I breath in the smoke. I've never been a smoker, of any kind.

"This shit today is pretty simple. I'm gonna have you go with Sammy boy, here."

"Where are we going?" I ask. I intend to sound interested to show Danny that I'm invested in this new development.

Danny points his cigar at Sam. "I'll let Samuel fill you in on that."

I look over at the guy and he seems completely disinterested. The first time I saw Sam he was arguing with Danny about getting more money. Danny basically told me then that Sam was a whiney little shit.

Sam shrugs at me, so I look back to Danny. "What are you waiting for? Get the fuck outta here." Danny almost yells. I flinch and turn on my heels. I hear Sam get out of his chair behind me. I assume he's following me. I go out the garage door and wait for him.

"This way." Sam nods to his left. He takes the lead and I follow him to a car that's about halfway down the block. "Hop in." He says over the roof of the car when we get there.

I get in the passengers side and Sam brings the car to life. He puts the car in gear and we speed off. "Where are we going?" I ask after we drive a few blocks.

Sam side-eyes me. "To a friends."

That's nice and vague.

I don't ask anymore questions. I just let Sam drive. We drive the rest of the way in silence. It's about a twenty minute car ride to our destination. Sam pulls up along the side of the street outside a big two story house.

We walk up the sidewalk side by side but when we get to the porch Sam steps in front of me. He doesn't even knock on the front door, just turns the knob, and does right in. I follow after him out of lack of not knowing what else to do.

As soon as we step inside I hear the thunderous music that plays from the stereo in the corner of the room. I smell a mixtures of smoke in the air. It's not just cigarette smoke either. And I see the ton of people that occupy what I think is the living room area. There are probably thirty to forty people standing, sitting, and laying around the room.

Before Sam steps into the room he jabs me in the side with his elbow. I glance over at him with an offered look on my face. He ignores it and leans into my side. "Stick to my side." He yells over the music. I nod because it's so loud and I don't want to shout back a response.

I follow Sam through the throng of people into a kitchen. Sam slaps a huge black guy on the shoulder. "What's up, Charles?" He yells.

The big man turns to Sam and encompasses him in a big bear hug. "What are you doing here, man?"

"I'm here to sell." Sam digs his hand into his pants pocket and pulls out a little brown bag. "If that's alright with you. I know this is your place and I don't want to step on your toes or anything like that."

"No. It's totally cool, man. Go ahead. Those guys in there could probably use a bump." Charles claps Sam on the shoulder. "Who's that?" He asks nodding in my direction.

"Nobody. She's like my shadow today." Sam tells him.

Sure makes me feel special. I smile to Charles to placate him.

Charles nods knowingly. "Later, man." He says and I guess that's our signal to go. Sam turns around and goes back to the living room where the party is really happening. I follow along like his shadow.

Sam starts out selling coke to a handful of people at the party. That is until someone asks him if he has anything else. Sam nods and pulls some tiny little bags out of his other pants pocket. I start to wonder what else Sam might have in his baggy pants. At first, I don't get a good look at the drug, but I know it's not cocaine. It's the second person that Sam sells to that I realize he it dealing crystal meth. That's a little more serious as far as drugs go.

Once word gets around that Sam has crystal the customers come rolling on over. He probably sells to ten or twelve people. It's amazing. Even as a detective I've never seen so many drug deals go down in one single session.

"What about you?" Sam asks when we are back in the car after he sold out all of his product. We are on our way back to Danny's house.

I turn to look at him. Sam keeps his eyes on the road. "What about me?"

He flicks his eyes over to me quickly before returning them to the road. "Who are you? Where are you from? What are your hobbies? That sort of thing."

Is he trying to make conversation with me? He seemed like he couldn't care about me in any way. Now he's asking.

"Oh. Um- I'm Eva Garcia. I grew up with my parents in the Bronx. I don't like fancy things. Clothes, dinners, cars. Call me frugal or cheap, but I don't get what the deal is with all that stuff. It's just possessions. I like to relax. Sit at home at the end of the day with a cold beer and just watch tv or a movie. I'm boring really."

I try to play Eva down as much as I can. That way there won't be as many questions. The duller Eva seems, the less people are interested in her or where she came from. I certainly don't reveal anything that would get me in trouble.

"But, enough about me. I wanna know a little about you. Like what does your job usually entail?"

When I ask Sam the question he looks over at me for a second. He licks his lips and thinks about his answer before he speaks. "I sell- for Danny. Coke, meth, pills, pot. Pretty much everything." He says with a shrug.

"What about other stuff? Like heroin?" I try to ask as casually as I can.

Sam snaps his head to me this time. He stares me down for a brief minute. I'm actually afraid we might crash into something if he doesn't return his eyes to the road. "Fuck no." His voice is sharp and defensive. He looks back out the windshield. "Danny don't deal in heroin. That shit's the devil. It's dangerous." It almost sounds like he is scolding me.

"And all the other drugs aren't?" I ask quietly. I know he hears the question though.

"It's _more _dangerous." Sam replies quickly.

I don't respond. We drive back to the house in awkward silence after that. When we return I go inside the house with Sam. I'm not sure if that's all for the day or if Danny wants me to do something else, something more.

As I step into the meeting room I realize I might have just made a be mistake. Danny isn't there. Only Brittany is in the room.

"He's gone for the night." Brittany answers my silent question.

Just as soon as Brittany speaks Sam turns around and heads towards the door. "Tell Danny I'll be back tomorrow with his money." The shaggy haired man says the second before he leaves.

The door clicks shut and the room falls into silence. I eye Brittany wearily. I'm not sure what she is thinking right now. Good or bad, it makes me uneasy. After the other day I'm not sure what to do or what to say to Brittany. She's the one that breaks the silence though.

"How are you? How was your day?" She asks in her sweet Brittany voice.

"G-good." Great. I'm stuttering. Way to hold it together.

"That's good. Are you gonna ask me how I've been?" She says with a little smirk.

I didn't think of it. "How are you?" I ask dumbly. She just baited me into the question.

"I've been really good. I recently met this new friend. I really like her. We had a great afternoon together a few days ago." Brittany says and gives me a flirtatious wink.

She makes something inside me flutter. "Oh." I breathe out shakily. I reach out for the nearest chair, grab the back of it, and hold on tight. I suddenly feel like I might fall over.

"What are you doing tonight?" Is Brittany's next question.

"Nothing. Going home and watching a movie." I really don't have any plans for the evening, but feel like I needed to make something up. I'm not sure I like the way this conversation is going. I feel like for some reason that I need to try and put a stop to it.

"Why don't you hang around here? Stay the night?" Brittany stands up from her chair at the front of the room and slowly walks over to me. I'm not that far away from her, but it takes Brittany a few seconds to walk over. She stands directly in front of me. Brittany puts her right hand on my left elbow. I look down at her hand before I look back to her eyes.

"I have to go home. I can't stay." I tell her. My words are stronger than the last time I spoke. I can't stay here tonight. Not after what happened yesterday. I feel bad enough about that. I can't lead Brittany on. She's too sweet of a girl.

But, Brittany sticks out her lip in a pout.

"Listen, Brittany, what happened the other day, it can't happen again. I like you and we can be friends. But- that- uh- can't happen again. It's nothing against you. I just gotta keep my head on straight right now. I'm sorry." I try to let her down easy. Well, as easily as possible.

But, Brittany's face falls, her hand slips off my elbow. I can see the sadness in all of her features. That's the exact thing that I didn't want to happen. Brittany should always be happy. She should always be smiling. And to think that I am the one making her sad, well, it hurts me.

"I promises I will come back tomorrow morning. I'll do my work for Danny and then we can hang out the rest of the day. Okay?" I try to lessen the blow.

Brittany nods but still looks sad. "I guess, I understand." Her voice just oozes sadness. She raises her hand to her face. Brittany pinches her bottom lip between her index finger and thumb and pulls it away from her mouth a little. It only makes her look more sad. "You promise?"

"I promise. I have to come back tomorrow for my next allotment of drugs anyway." I know I will be here tomorrow. With Danny not here tonight, I don't know what he wants me to do next. He didn't give me anymore coke to sell so I have no 'jobs' to do for the time being. "I won't leave here tomorrow until I see you. Okay?"

Brittany perks up a little at that. She makes eye contact for the first time in a few minutes. "Okay." There's even a teeny, tiny smile etched on her lips.

"Can I give you a hug?" If I'm gonna make her feel sad, then at least I want to try and make her feel better too.

"I'd like that." She nods.

I step forward and wrap my arms around Brittany's middle. She rests her arms around my neck. She hugs me tight and I rub my hands gently up and down her back. Brittany sighs at my touch. I feel a little less guilty now but not much.

I shouldn't be using this nice girl for my own purposes. I should just leave her alone and figure out a way to take down this drug ring without her, without involving her, without getting close to her and taking advantages of that to get information out of her.

"Okay, Britt. I gotta go." I tell her. She pulls back, I can tell, reluctantly. She's smiling for real this time though. No shiny white teeth, just a tight-lipped smile, but it's more of a smile than any other has been previously.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Eva."

The use of the name Eva makes my stomach twist in all the wrong ways. "Yeah, see ya." I step back away from Brittany. Walking backwards, I reach the door, and turn the knob. I wave to her and she waves back, then I slip out the door.

* * *

The next morning I'm feeling good. The sun is out. It's a warm day for late fall. I feel good as I walk from my apartment to Danny's drug house.

My main mission is to meet with Danny for more drugs to sell. No, I'm not really sells them. No, I'm not really a drug dealers. Yes, I am keeping up appearances.

I knock on the door three times. Karofsky slides the slot in the door open, looks at me, and closes it quickly. The door swings open and I step inside. "Thank you, kind sir." I nod at him with a little extra enthusiasm. Like I said I'm feeling good today.

Yesterday's troubles are for yesterday. Today is a new day and I can do with it whatever I want.

The walk down the short hallway and push open the secret door in the wall. The first person I see is Brittany, before I even step into the room. She is in my direct line of vision. The blonde sits in her chair at the front of the dull room at Danny's side.

She smiles when she sees me. Every fiber in my body ignites. I return her smile and step into the room. Once the secret door is shut I make my way over to the two of them. They are just sitting there. Were they waiting for me? Did Brittany tell Danny that I would be back this morning? Or is it for some other reason that these two are sitting there patiently?

I stop in front of Danny. "What's the plan for today, sir?" I ask before he gets a chance to say anything.

"I don't have anything planned, but I heard everything went well with you and Sam yesterday." I nod because nothing went wrong. But, I'm not sure where he got that information from. Did Danny already talk to Sam today? Was Sam already here? It's not even ten in the morning. "Today we be an easy day for you, I have decided. I will give you the usually amount that you sell and you will go from there. The usually forty-eight hours time window too. Okay?"

"Okay. Sounds good." I agree to the terms.

"Great. Oh, and Eva-" I try not to cringe at the sound of that name. "-don't think just because today was an easy day that they will all be easy days to come. I have big plans for you." Danny says with a certain excitement in his voice. It frightens me a little. He sounds almost sinister. "Now I have big lunch plans with an associate. I need to go get ready." The man pats Brittany on the knee. "Behave while I'm gone, yeah?"

I see Brittany roll her eyes. "Of course."

Danny laughs. "Alright, have a good day." He stands and points a finger at me. "Wait for Karofsky." I nod and Danny leaves.

"What the fuck was all that?" The words leave my mouth the second the door shuts. My eyes connect with Brittany's. She shrugs. "Whatever. Karofsky better hurry his little ass up."

"Got somewhere to be?" Brittany asks with a quirked eyebrow.

"Um-" I promised Brittany I would spend time with her today. I'm not sure what that's going to entail. Maybe I shouldn't have told her that. She probably planned something for us to do. "-no."

"Good. I was hoping-" Brittany starts but the door swings open and she clams up. Karofsky comes over to me and hands me my brown bag.

"Thanks." I mumble. He nods, turns, walks away from me, and out of the room. "He doesn't say much, does he?" I ask Brittany.

"No. I don't think I've ever had a conversation with him."

"Well, I used to think you were the same. Never said anything. A lot of times you still don't. But, I know better than that now. I know you can have a conversation. You're still all strong and silent when other people are around though. Why is that?" I babble on. Why? I don't know.

"Come with me." Brittany doesn't answer my question. Instead, she standing and holds her hand out for me to take. I take it without a second thought. I'm drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Maybe that's a bad example. Actually, no. It's a good example.

With my little brown paper bag in one hand and Brittany's hand in my other hand, I follow her through the kitchen and up the stairs. I have an idea as to where we are headed. When we step into her room she drops my hand and does over to the small tv. Brittany turns it on and what's on the screen surprises me. But, maybe it shouldn't. The tv screen is sectioned off into four squares. A black and white live picture shows on all four. Closed circuit tv.

"You're watching this place?" I ask in awe.

"How did you think I knew every time you showed up? Did you think I was psychic?"

"Well- no." My shoulders slump. Brittany giggles. Now I feel dumb. I'm suppose to be a detective? I'm suppose to be undercover? I turn to watch the tv screen. One camera is positioned on the front door. One on the kitchen. And the other two are focused on the meeting room. Two different angles of the same room. You would be able to see anyone come in and pretty much anything that happens in that room. It's very genius on her part.

"Did you do all this?" I wave my hand at the tv for emphasis.

"Yeah. I got bored one day and had an idea." Brittany walks away from the tv and sits down on the bed. She leans up against the headboard with her back. She looks over at me, then pats the spot on the bed in between her legs.

"Brittany." I scold. "I meant what I said yesterday. About just being friends. Don't get me wrong I- uh- enjoyed being with you like that, but I think I should focus on the jobs Danny wants me to do and we should just be friends."

"Yeah, I heard what you said and I disagree. Come on, Eva. What Danny has you doing doesn't take up that much focus. It's pretty rudimentary. Trained monkeys could do his shit for him. I think you have more than enough brains to focus on more than a few things at a time. And right now I want you to focus on me."

Well, fuck. "Uh- I-"

Brittany giggles and pats the spot on the bed. "Just get over here."

I don't know what else to do. This woman does thinks to me mentally. It's not the physical, well, it is the physical too. But, she says things that make my brain turn to mush. That's why I need to focus. And I can't when I'm around Brittany.

I mindlessly step over to the bed and crawl in between her legs. I rest my back against her chest with a sigh. Brittany wraps her arms around me and nuzzles her face into the crook of my neck. It feels so good to be held like this.

I sink back into Brittany's embrace. She starts placing small, feather light kisses up and down my neck. She pays a little extra attention to the spot where my pulse flutters underneath my skin. Licking her tongue across the spot before sucking. I squirm a little in her hold. A small moan escapes my lips.

Brittany's hands start to wander under my shirt as her lips wander over my neck. She press her fingers under my shirt. They dance their way over my belly button, higher, until they reach the underside of my boobs. She cups me with her left hand. Her right travels down to the top of my jeans.

Brittany takes my earlobe in between her teeth and tugs. Her slick tongue pokes out and runs the length of the shell. I'm suddenly glad that I pulled my hair back into a ponytail today. Brittany sucks my earlobe into her mouth for a few seconds before she's kissing down my neck again.

I, on the other hand, am not sure what to do with myself. I have one hand holding onto the bed sheets for dear life. The left is cupping Brittany's hand that is needing at my left breasts. Over the shirt though so I'm not actually touching her hand.

With expect ease Brittany flicks the button on my jeans so that they pop open. Somehow she slides the zipper down to allow herself more access.

"Britt." I moan loudly.

"Shh." She hisses into my ear. Her right hand slips into my underwear, touching over my most sensitive area right away. Brittany circles, then slips further down coating her fingers in my juices. She circles my entrance but doesn't stay there for long.

I hiss as I take a sharp breath in. I arch into her touch. She has magic fingers.

"How does that feel?" She husked into my ear. How does she sound so sexy?

"Oh, god, Britt." I buck my hips.

"Okay. Okay." She mumbles. Her fingers slide through me. She reaches that sensitive bundle of nerves again. Brittany's fingers circle and circle. Tight and fast. "Let go." She whispers into my ear and sucks on my earlobe.

"Fuck." It comes out as a half-moan, half-scream. Brittany slows her ministrations against me as I come untangled.

When I slump back against her, she pulls her hand out of my underwear. Brittany brings her fingers to her mouth and sucks them clean. I turn my head to the action. Her eyes are hooded, her face pure delight.

"Better than I expected." Brittany smirks when she pulls her fingers from her mouth.

"How are you so fucking sexy?" I ask. My voice is deep, husky, sex-filled.

Brittany just shrugs. We stare at each other for a few seconds before I know what I need to do. I flip over quickly so that we are face to face.

"Well, hello." Brittany giggles. Our faces only inches apart. I lean in and kiss her hard. Brittany's head jolts bad and hits against the headboard. She groans into my mouth. I slide my tongue along her bottom lip before dipping it into her mouth.

Brittany's hands finds purchase on my hips. My hands slide down her front. With one hand I lift up her shirt. With the other I push down her sweatpants. Yeah, she's wearing sweatpants. I've never seen someone make sweatpants looks so good, but Brittany does it. My hand slips into her pants but over her underwear. I cup her. Brittany grunts and bites down on my bottom lip. I try to pull back but she keeps me still.

Her hips roll up into my hand and I get the hint. Someone's anxious. I lift a little so I can slide my hand into her underwear. I press two fingers down against her entrance and she rolls her hips again. I slide my fingers into her slick center. Brittany's hot, slick heat surrounds me. I work my fingers inside her. In and out. When I flick over her click a couple times Brittany moans and bucks her hips into me.

I remove my lips from hers when her breathing gets too heavy to properly kiss her anymore. I slide my lips over her jawbone to her ear. I blow a hot stream of air into her ear and I feel Brittany shudder beneath me. I work faster now. I can tell she's close. A few more pumps of my fingers and flicks of my thumb and Brittany's muscles stiffen. I suck at her pulse as she works through her climax. A few seconds pass and Brittany slumps back against the bed. She relaxes.

I slip my fingers out of her and Brittany takes in a sharp breath of air. I kiss my way up her neck, across her cheek, and press my lips to hers. It's a short kiss but an effective one. I do the same as Brittany did. I lift my fingers to my mouth, directly in front of her, and suck on them.

"Mmmm." I purr. Brittany's eyes glaze over at the sight. I remove my fingers and laugh. I roll to the side to lay next to her.

"I really like you." Are Brittany's first actually words.

"Ya don't say?" I chuckle.

"No, seriously." Brittany rolls onto her side. "I really like you. I like _like _you." She reaches forward and tucks a hair that must have escaped my ponytail behind my ear. I can feel my face heat up at her words and her attention to me.

"I- I like you too, Britt." I stare into her eyes and she into mine. She has the most enticing eyes. They aren't always the same color. I mean, they are essentially the same color, but they are never the exact same shade. Sometimes they are a light blue, sometimes a dark. Sometimes they look like they have a little gold sprinkled in them. But, the different shades I've seen so far are all alluring. Right now, they are the brightest shade of blue I think I've ever seen. "You're eyes are _really _blue."

Brittany giggles. "Thanks. I like your eyes too. They remind me of milk chocolate."

Now I chuckle. I duck my head away from her. I've never been very good with compliments. "Thanks." I mumble.

"Come here." Brittany says and wraps her arm around me. "How about a little nap?"

I nod my head and she pulls her into her body. My head rests under her chin and Brittany wraps her arm around me and holds me there. I feel her kiss the top of my head and I close my eyes at the feeling.

It doesn't take long before I feel myself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

When I look at my watch and see it's almost five in the afternoon I realize I've spent the entire afternoon in Brittany's bed. Currently Brittany is laying on her stomach at the bottom of the bed. We are watching some tv show that I've never seen before.

I'm sitting with my back to the headboard, my legs stretched out in front of me. Brittany's been playing with my feet. Well, playing isn't exactly the correct word. It's more like a massage. At first I thought it was gross. Someone touching my feet. I pulled them away from Brittany but she give me this look like she was offended. I reluctantly put them back by her. She took my right foot first and started needing it will her fingers. God, it felt so good. Brittany went back to watching tv, but still kept massaging my feet. I think I lost a whole hour of the day just relishing in the amazing feeling that she brought to my feet. I completely blanked the whole time she was rubbing them.

But, now it's getting late. I have to leave at some point. I have to also put on an appearance that I have drugs to sell. It would look pretty funny if I spent all of my time here and still sold all of my cocaine. That's the plan for right now. To tell Brittany I have to go and sell my drugs. I don't need anyone getting suspicious about how I'm moving my product. Not that Brittany would, but I think Danny might catch on if I keep spending gobs of time here when I should be out selling.

"As great as today has been I have to go. And don't give me any of that 'you can stay because you are brilliant' shit that you used this morning to get me to stay. I really have to go so I can sell what Danny gave me. Because ultimately that's the reason that I'm even here to begin with. If I didn't start working for Danny I would have never found myself meeting you."

Brittany grins at me from the other end of the bed. Shit-eating grin no less. She knows what she did. "Fine. I gotta make dinner for Karofsky and Danny anyway." Brittany pushes herself from her stomach into a kneeling position before scooting off the bed. "I'll walk you out." She holds her hand out.

I get off the bed and easily take her hand. Brittany walks us out of the room, down the length of the hallway, down the stairs, through the kitchen, into the meeting room, then out into the garage. I'm surprised to see that the garage door that the vehicles go in and out of is open and letting the late day sun in. The door has always been closed every time I've come through the garage.

"Okay, well, here's where I stop." Brittany halts at the rear of the car that's parked in the garage. She spins so that we are facing each other. "Have a good evening. And stay out of trouble. I don't want you getting shot at anymore."

"I'll try not to." I joke. "But, I promise I will stay out of trouble."

"Good. Now give me a kiss." Brittany commands.

I laugh and we lean into each other at the same time. Brittany's lips meet mine for a sweet kiss. Brittany presses her lips to mine over and over and over again. I pull back giggling.

"Hey! I wasn't done." She pouts. I roll my eyes and kiss her one more time. "That's a little better."

"Goodbye, Brittany." I pat her on the cheek. She smiles smugly before I turn and walk out of the garage.

"Bye, Eva." Brittany yells after me. I shake my head as I walk down the driveway.

I leave the house with a smile on my face. A real, honest to god, happy smile. I thought I felt good this morning, but I feel even better tonight. I genuinely like Brittany. Sure, she's a little different and she doesn't live a regular life, but I like her. I don't have any problems spending time with Brittany, it's so effortless. We just sort of click. Heck, spending time with her makes my days less boring. If I didn't spend the whole day here with her then I would have gone home and sat there til it was time for me to return to the drug house. And I know it's wrong. Not my feelings necessarily, but the situation. I shouldn't be getting involved with anyone while I'm undercover, but I still believe it's my best chance to get information about the drug ring.

But, I'm suppose to undercover as Eva. The feelings I have- friend feelings- aren't Eva's feelings, they are my own. I like Brittany. Eva doesn't. But, I suppose Brittany sees it that way. She sees Eva not Santana. She doesn't know who Santana even is. Brittany thinks I am Eva and doesn't know any different. She likes Eva not Santana.

It just reminds me what the mission is here and that I am, in fact, using Brittany. Poor Brittany, who doesn't know what going on. As I walk away from the house the stabbing pain of guilty hit me right in the gut.

At this point, I can't see this ending in a good way when everything is all said and done. It's just doesn't seem possible. I certainly don't know what going to happen in the future, but at the end of this I don't see Brittany and I even being friends much less anything else. There are just too many factors involved that make a negative outcome.

That's my biggest problem right now, as far as Brittany is concerned, that at the end she is the one who ends up getting hurt. I can see it already. She has already told me she has feelings for me and I can see those feelings getting crushed.

What gonna happen? I don't know. What happens when I gather enough evidence to get this drug ring shut down? What happens when it's revealed that Eva isn't, well Eve? That Eva is really a detective in the New York Police Department. What happens when Brittany learns this was all a setup? What happens when I, Santana Lopez, return to my regular life?

There are too many questions with negative answers for there to be a positive outcome.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Hey, man. I don't have much for you. Just been getting close to Brittany. I think she is the key to the information that I need." I tell Puck through the payphone line. "Oh, and there was a little incident a few days ago." I mention casually.

"_What incident?"_ Puck doesn't sound happy at all.

"Sugar and I were coming back from some club and we were shot at. No one-"

"_What?" _Puck screeches over the phone. _"What the fuck are you doing that you are getting shot?"_

"I didn't get shot. I just got shot _at_." I clarify. "Calm your tits. It's not a big deal. I'm fine. Sugar's fine. No one got hit. Everything's fine. Business as usual. So, I'm gonna start askin' Brittany questions the next time I'm with her." I pick at the cord of the nasty payphone. I'll have to wash my hands after I'm done with this phone call. I'm sure there's all sort of gross things on this phone cord.

"_How much time do you spend with this girl?" _Puck asks. I can tell that he is smirking just by the tone of his voice.

"What does it matter? I gotta get close to her and earn her trust, which I think I have, to get the details from her."

"_Right, well, I just need the smoking gun to nail Danny. I already have him on drug charges. I just need something bigger to get warrant to search his property and for his arrest. I also need you to get more info on Rory for me. I haven't been able to come up with much on him. It looks like he came to this county when he was sixteen with his family. He has a number of charges for petty crimes, but nothing big. I need you to find out what his connection with Danny is and what business they do together. I have a hunch, that if you find out about Rory and his association with Danny we can nail Danny."_

I can hear Puck tapping his pen on the file that he has on his desk in front of him. It's a very annoying habit that he has.

"Alright. Info on Rory and the smoking gun. Doesn't seems too difficult."

"_Yeah. So how are you doing? Are you struggling with anything? Got your head on straight?"_

"I'm fine. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. Should I continue? Look I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I will try and get to the bottom of Rory's actions. We should have this undercover investigation wrapped up soon. Hopefully, within the next couple of weeks. The longer I stick around the more Danny is gonna have me doing. That guy's a true drug kingpin."

"_That he is. I have multiply drug charges I can nail him with, but I want something that I know will stick. Something that will land him in the big house for the rest of his days."_

"I totally agree." I'm nodding my head even though I know Puck can't see me. "It's been a good chat. I should go Puckerman."

"_Yeah. Yeah. I'll let ya go. Stay safe, S-Eva."_

"I will. Thanks. Talk to you later." I hang up the phone with authority.

I pull my leather jacket tighter around my body on the way back to my studio apartment. It's getting colder as the days pass and winter approaches. I'm gonna need to invest in a warmer coat if this investigation is to continue into the winter.

* * *

"What brings you around these parts today, little lady?" Brittany asks with her most charming smile. She folds her hands in front of her on the kitchen table.

It's funny that Brittany asks. I came here with a purpose. I came here today to get information from her. I need to know more about Rory.

"I came by to see you. Duh." I give her a toothy grin.

Brittany smiles back, enamored. "No, really?"

"That's the honest to god truth. Well, that and I needed my next round of product." I roll my eyes. "But, mostly I came to see you."

"Well, gosh, lucky ol' me." Brittany says with a giggle.

I don't know for how much longer I can carry on this charade. It's pretty silly. "I would say very lucky indeed." I wink at her.

Brittany laughs out and I laugh too. She gets up from her seat at the table. "Lets go upstairs." She whispers like it's a secret. I guess it sort of is. Brittany holds out her hand for me and I take it. She pulls me up from my chair and starts for the stairs. Brittany nearly runs up the stairs and I stumble after her. We run down the hallway and Brittany pushes the bedroom door open. We enter the room and Brittany lets go of my hand so she can shut the door. I go over to the bed and lay down. Brittany comes bounding over and flops on the bed, on top of me, with a contagious laugh.

"Omph." I grunt. "Britt." I chuckle out her name.

"Sorry." She mumbles. Her fingers tickle over my side. Her lips find the skin of my collarbone.

"That was a little-" I'm cut off by her lips on mine.

"Rough." Brittany's index finger glides down my nose. "You don't like it rough?" She smirking at me devilishly.

I bite my lip and have to squeeze my thighs together. "No, I-" I roll my head back on the pillow. Bad idea. Brittany's lips attach to my neck. Or maybe good idea. A moan slips passed my lips. Her lips feel so good, always. Wherever they press to my body. Brittany's lips are like magic as they work over the skin on my neck. I grip at her. One hand on the small of her back and the other one at the nape of her neck, holding her face to my neck. "Britt." I moan. She continues placing open mouthed kisses to my skin. She goes lower until she can suck to the spot where my pulse is now pounding in my neck.

"Ugg, Britt. Wait." I moan again. This time she lifts her face from my neck. Brittany sits back and look down on me.

"Boop." She pokes me on the end of my nose. Brittany's smiling happily. She's absolutely beaming. "What's up?"

"I- I-" Now I gotta try and speak in full sentences. She's totally not fair.

"Little tongue tied?" She giggles.

"Yeah." I nod. "Can we just talk a little bit?"

"Sure thing, babe." Brittany rolls off of me and onto her side next to me. I roll over on my side too so that we are facing each other. She leans into me and pecks my lips. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Hmm. I don't know. I wanna know more about you. What you do in your free time? What you do around here? What you do for Danny? That sort of thing, I guess. I just wanna know you better. I wanna know everything about you." The funny thing is it not a lie. I want to know about Brittany both as Eva and as Santana.

"Okay, but the same goes for you. I want to learn more about the beautiful Eva Garcia."

Fuck. "Okay." I roll my tongue around inside my mouth thinking of where to start. My questions need to be strategic and systematic. This is a big opportunity to get information not only on Brittany, but on Danny, and hopefully Rory, and Karofsky as well.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Brittany asks me before I can get a chance to say anything. She's a clever girl. She knows just how to get me.

"No. I don't." Eva doesn't need any siblings. And I don't have any either. "I know you don't have any siblings." Brittany tilts her head to the side and I start to second guess myself. "You don't, do you."

Brittany reveals a smile. "No. Just me." She's trying to mess with me. "Do you live with your parents?" She asks.

At first I think it's a weird question, but then I remember Eva's back story. The story I told Danny about the reason I came to him to sell drugs and earn money. Now I have to decide if Eva lives with her parents or not. She sells drugs to make money to give with them would it be weird if she lived elsewhere.

"Kinda." I decide to go half and half. "That is that I live in the same building but not the same unit. I sorta have my own part of the house. There's a back entrance that's separate from the main house. I have a little kitchen area and then half the basement has been converted into living space."

"So, you live in your parents basement."

"Glamorous, huh?" I laugh.

"I'm sure it's nice." Brittany says softly, genuinely.

"Yeah, um-" I don't know what to ask her. She told me all about herself the other day. I feel like I don't have anymore questions I can ask about her. And I don't wanna ask about her family, parents. "-do you- uh- have friends in the- house?"

"Do you mean like dealers and people that hang around here?"

"Yeah. Sure. Whoever." I nod. It's a random question, but it's a shot at getting me more information on the group.

"Well, I wouldn't say friends exactly. Sugar and I are like enemies. I can just barely stand to be around Fitz. I dated Sam and we were friends at one point, but as he got further in we grew apart. I hardly ever talk to him anymore. There are a couple people that I will say hi to if I see them, but no one that I really wanna be friends with. Well, except maybe you." Brittany wiggles her eyebrows at me.

I chuckle silently. "What about that Rory kid?" Here goes nothing.

"I can hardly understand him. He's from Ireland, ya know? He moved to the US when he was sixteen. Plus, he's evil. I don't wanna be friends with evil. I think Sugar has a thing for him though. I've seen her starting at him." Brittany's fingers twist and play with my hair.

One thing she says catches my attention. "Evil how?"

"He's part of the Irish mafia." Brittany states bluntly.

"How does that make him evil?" While being apart of the mafia isn't really a good thing, it doesn't necessarily make someone evil.

"He's a hitman. He's killed people." Brittany says nonchalantly.

My eyes grow a little wider. "F-for Danny?"

"Yeah. I guess. Like I haven't seen him kill anybody, but I've heard him and Danny talking about it- before and after it happened."

"How many?" I ask in a whisper.

"Dunno. One for sure. I mean- I haven't heard of more than one, but I guess it's possible it could be more." Brittany reveals.

"Wow. That's some crazy shit. Do you know why?" I try to sound as interested as possible and not like I'm interrogating her.

"Somebody crossed Danny. Started sellin' his drugs or something like that and was keeping Danny's money. When the guy didn't pay up after two weeks Danny brought in Rory."

"That sounds rough. I almost can't believe it. Remind me to never cross Danny." I try to joke. Brittany just looks at me humorlessly. "Okay, sorry. Trust me, I will _never _cross Danny. Especially now that I know what he is capable of."

Brittany sighs. "He's gotta do what he's gotta do." She obviously understands the reasons why Danny does what he does. Brittany understands his business and why certain things are done the way they are.

"I know. I understand. We don't have to talk about him anymore." No, we don't. I got more than enough information out of Brittany for today.

"What do you wanna talk about?" I ask. I'll leave it up to Brittany. I feel bad for using her like this. The only good thing is that she has no idea that I'm using her. I feel like a terrible person for doing so. But, I have to. That's the nature of the game, whether I like it or not. And I definitely don't.

"I don't really wanna talk anymore. I think I'm all talked out for now." There's a certain glint in her eyes.

"What do you wanna do then?" I ask already having an idea as to what Brittany's thinking.

Brittany bites her lip. "You." The word leaves her lips in a husky whisper.

I clench my thighs together as I feel my whole body heat up. Slowly, Brittany gets closer to me. Not just her face, but her whole body moves closer to mine. We are facing each other with our hands and arms in the space between us. Her eyes never leave mine as she comes closer and closer, until I can feel her breath on my lips and chin. I finally close my eyes as her lips touch mine gently. Her hand cups my face and pulls me into the kiss. Brittany's lips wrap firmly around my lower lip.

"Mmm." Brittany hums against my lips and it vibrates through my body. Brittany's tongue pokes against my upper lip, it slides over my lip, licks at it. I open my mouth a little and Brittany's tongue licks it's way in between my lips. Our tongues touch and a jolt zaps my body. She has this amazing power that has me giving in to her. Brittany runs her tongue along the roof of my mouth and it makes a loud moan leave me. It's almost embarrassing how easily she turns me on.

I wrap my arm around Brittany's waist and try and pull her body into mine. I can't get her to move though. Brittany slows our kisses down before pulling away just a tiny bit. I open my eyes and Brittany is looking at me with those beautiful, deep blue, half-lidded eyes. Her lips reach in again and peck at my nose and then my lips.

"You're so pretty, Eva." Brittany murmurs.

My cheeks heat. "Britt." She leans in and kisses me again before I can say anything else.

Brittany's hand moves from my cheeks down to my neck. It rests there for a minute or so while we kiss. I nip teasingly at her lips, before quickly pulling my head away from her. She pouts. I kiss the pout off of her lips. Brittany giggles and smiles into our next kiss. She sneakily slide her knee in between my knees and moves so that there's only a little bit of space between us. Brittany grabs my bottom lip between her teeth and tugs. She lets go and my lip snaps back with a little pop.

Brittany's eyes twinkle with merriment. "You should take your shirt off." She suggests.

"Oh really?" I raise an eyebrow.

Brittany's fingers tickle down my side. "Yes."

"Only under one condition." I decide to play with Brittany a little bit.

"What's that?" Brittany asks curiously, quirking an eyebrow.

"You take your top off too." I wiggle my eyebrows at her.

Brittany sits up and pulls her shirt over her head immediately. Next off comes her bra. My eyes gaze over her naked chest as Brittany sits up on the bed. She nods at me. "Your turn." She reaches for the bottom of my shirt and starts pulling it up. I sit up so Brittany can pull the shirt over my head. She throws it somewhere across the room and lays back down on her side. I lay down too as Brittany's eye oogle my chest. "This too." She slips her finger underneath the strap of my bra. With a smile I reach behind my bra and snap the clasp open. Brittany pulls on the strap, pulling the material away and off of my chest. My bra is removed and replaced by Brittany's right hand. Her thumb swipes over my nipple and I whimper.

"B-britt." I moan. Brittany leans down and her lips take the place of her thumb on my nipple. She licks over the bud a couple of times. Her licks turn into her lips wrapping around and sucking on the skin. It's not what I meant when I moaned out her name, it's so much better. My hand grabs onto the back of Brittany's head and holds her to my chest.

Brittany's thigh moves up and in between my legs, parting them. Her hand that was cupping my breast slides down, lower, over my stomach. She tickles her fingers over my skin until she gets to my jeans. Brittany somehow undoes the button on my jeans with just one hand, then slides said hand into my underwear.

She slips her lips from one breast to the other, giving it some attention. Brittany is driving me crazy. I try to grind my hips against Brittany's fingers that move between my folds.

Brittany has the upper hand, but I want her to feel good too. I reach out my hand until I find the soft supple skin of her breast. I flick my thumb over her nipple, making it hard. I squeeze and need at Brittany's boob. She moans into my chest in response.

I take my hand away and Brittany's whimpers into my skin. I slide my hand down in between our bodies to Brittany's waist, into her sweatpants. I moan when I feel that Brittany isn't wearing any underwear. I clench my legs together, squashing Brittany's fingers.

"That's so fucking hot, Britt." I comment on her lack of underwear. My fingers play over the delicate skin between Brittany's legs. Just as I start to circle her clit with my fingers Brittany inserts two fingers inside of me. My hips start to rock with the back and forth motions that Brittany has going. She starts rocking with me so I slips a finger into her center.

Brittany moans and takes her lips away from the awesome attention she was giving my chest. She straightens out her upper body so that we are face to face again.

"Hey." Brittany pants. A wicked smile on her lips.

"Hi." I breathe out.

We rock into each other in what seems like a choreographed dance. Brittany pumps in and out of me, winding me tighter and tighter. I try to keep pace with my own fingers in Brittany. In and out in a now unsteady rhythm.

"Britt." I whine. I'm so close.

"A little more." She moans.

Brittany presses her lips to mine in a short kiss, before pulling back for air. My eyes lock with hers following the kiss. I pump my fingers in and out of her at a faster pace. Brittany picks up the pace too.

"Britt." I shout. My hips jut forward, my muscles clench, everything stills for a few seconds. Brittany's fingers stop moving inside of me, but stay there. She keeps rocking her hips against my hand until I feel her muscles clench around my fingers. I remember what's happening and hook my fingers inside of her. She grunts and her body shakes around and against mine. I see her eyes slam shut and she bites on her bottom lip.

When my muscles relax after my orgasm I lean my forehead against Brittany's. She's breathing hard, so am I. She opens her eyes though.

"Hey." I whisper.

"Hi." Brittany replies and takes her fingers out of me.

I suck in a sharp breath of air at their removal. Brittany smiles victoriously. I lean in and kiss her just to get rid of that ridiculous smile. She seems so proud of herself. Confident. I take my hand out of her sweatpants and rest it on her hip. I thumb over her hipbones as I suck on her bottom lip.

After some more kissing I pull back and just look at her. "What?" Brittany asks in a hushed voice.

"You're just- you're incredible. Just- you do things to me. I'm not talking about this right now. Well, I am, but I find myself thinking about you when you're nowhere near me. I just can't get you off of my mind some of the time." I confess. Brittany makes me want to share everything with her. My body, of course, but my thoughts, and my emotions too. She's different. She's special. I know that already.

"I think about you a lot too." Brittany says.

"Yeah?" I ask with a twitch of a smile.

"Definitely." She nods. "I love the time we spend together, but when you're gone I wish you were here."

I make a promise to myself. Right now. That I am going to start spending more time with her. Really get to know her. Undercover operation be damned. Obviously, that's my main objective, but I could get more out of it then just information for Danny's arrest. At the end of all of it, I could have something more than that. Maybe it's my sex addled mind talking, but I'm starting to think it might be possible.

I surge forward and wrap Brittany in my arms. I kiss her hard and force her onto her back. Brittany laughs into our kiss then starts to kiss me back. Our naked chests rub together deliciously as I lay on top of Brittany and make out with her.

* * *

When I step inside the room Brittany and Danny are sitting at the front in their chairs. Danny is smoking a cigar and Brittany is just sitting there with her hands folded in her lap. I don't know how she can sit there all the time and not get bored. She just sits. She doesn't ever have anything with her. Nothing like a magazine or headphones and music. Just nothing.

There's another presence in the room. I spy the back of a shaggy haired head and know that the front holds big fish lips. Sam. When I step up next to him I get a good look. He has his head bowed. He looks like a kicked puppy or a kid that's on a timeout. Sad. Regretful. Because he knows he did something wrong.

"Eva, I'm glad you're here. We are just waiting on Sugar. I have plans for the two of you tonight." Danny addresses me.

"Okay. Here's your money, sir." I hand over a handful of cash and Danny starts counting. While he does, I glance over in Brittany's direction. She's already looking at me. Our eyes connect, she smiles, and then so do I. Brittany mouths the word 'hi'. I mouth back a 'hey'. I nod my head to the left where Sam is sitting hoping to get an explanation from her. Brittany shrugs and nods to her left at Danny. My eyes shift to him. He's almost done counting through the money.

"Very well, Eva. You are proving yourself very reliable. Unlike some fucking people." Danny glances over to Sam when he says that last part. "Tonight I'm gonna have you go out with Sugar. You two are gonna sell together. See if you can't pick up a few tips from her. From what I understand she's very good at what she does. This is like a training run for you. Sometime in the next few weeks I will have you go out on the street on your own to sell my product. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." I nod vigorously. "I understand, sir."

"Where is that girl?" Danny asks sounding annoyed as he looks down at his watch. "I told her six o'clock." He rubs his hand over his temples before taking a long drag from his cigar. I look down at my watch, it's only two minutes after six.

Everyone in the room looks at each other when we faintly hear something at the front door. I few seconds pass before the secret door opens and Sugar pops in.

"Speak of the motherfuckin' devil." Danny mumbles. "Hello, Sugar."

"Hey. Sorry I'm late ma cat got out 'n' I had ta chase 'em down." That's Sugar's excuse. It's doesn't seem like a good excuse, but it does seem possible. "That lil' fucker manages to sneak right between ma legs as I leave the house." She chuckles a little.

Danny doesn't seem to find it funny though. He looks at Sugar with a straight face. "Alright, now that you're here I will fill you in on tonight's happenings."

"Lay it on me, big man." Sugar tells him. That's awfully ballsy to talk to Danny like that, if you ask me. But, no one's asking me. I would never talk to him like that. Now that I know what he is capable of.

"You and Eva are going out as a team tonight. You are going to show her some pointers. You are training her for her own future solo missions."

"Got it." Sugar says with a firm head nod. "What're we slingin'?"

"Coke, pot, pills. Your usual. Eva's not experienced with the pot or pills so that's where I wan't you to focus. Let her see how to do it. When you're both done report back to me before you go home for the night."

Sugar groans. "Fine." She usually doesn't have to report back to Danny at the end of the night. "Where's the stuff?"

"Stay here. I'll go get it." Danny stands from his throne chair. With one look over his shoulder he leaves the room. Silence falls around the four of us. Sugar huffs out a breath of hostile air. Maybe she's not hostile, but she for sure is bothered by the recent developments in some way. She goes over to a table and set her purse down on top and starts rummaging through it. A couple seconds pass before she pulls out a mirror and a little baggy of fine white powder.

My eyes widen in shock. She's gonna do that right here, right now. I look over to Brittany and she shrugs, palms raised to the ceiling. I look back to see Sugar rolling up a bill, then leaning over and snorting up the line of cocaine off of the mirror. She sniffs a few times before closing the compact mirror and throwing it and the bill back in her purse. She turns around and catches me watching her.

"What?" She asks arrogantly.

I shift my eyes to the floor. "Nothing."

"Damn straight." Sugar huffs and sits in one of the folding chairs.

I stand there staring at my shoes hoping the Danny will appear at any minute.

A few minutes pass before he comes back, but no more than five. "Here you ladies go. I expect great things from both of you tonight." I nod along with his words. I will do everything that I can tonight to prove to Danny that I can do this. I will prove to him that I am a worthy employee. "Now get the fuck outta here and go sell some shit to those fucking junkies that keep my cash flowing."

And just like that Danny sit down in his chair next to Brittany and we are leaving. When I get to the door I look over my shoulder and nod at her. She gets the message and nods back, subtle.

"And don't start any more turf wars tonight." Danny yells after us as we leave.

When we get to Sugar's spot she leans up against the wall of the building. We are standing at the intersection of two streets. There are a few people milling around the streets. Down at the end of the block is a nightclub. Sugar told me that's why she picked this spot. It's a smart place to set up shop.

A few minutes pass before a couple of guys stroll up to us. One of the guys looks up and down the streets. The other asks the questions. "Coke? Pot?" He asks with a nod.

"Yeah." Sugar says coolly.

The guy who asked the questions hands Sugar a few bills. She counts the bills then nods. The guys face nearly lights up in delight. Sugar reaches into her purse and gives the guy what he wanted. The two guys nod at us, then walk off down the street.

The whole night goes like that. Customers come up to us, ask for what they want, and Sugar either says she doesn't have it or gives them what they are asking for. It's fairly simple. I pick up a few techniques from her and I get a handle on the prices for the different amounts of different drugs. I'd say the night is a success.

I don't know how long we stand there but my feet are starting to hurt.

"How much more do we got?" I ask Sugar.

"Just some pills 'n' some pot." Sugar slowly turns towards me. "Why?"

My eyes widen at the look on her face. She looks mad, offended. "I was just wondering." I hold my hands out in front of me, my palms toward her. "Wanted to know how much longer we were gonna be here. That's all."

"I'm hopin' we can sell the pot yet, but if we don't sell the pills that's okay." She narrows her eyes at me for a second, but she turns away and looks back down the street.

About ten minutes later the nightclub closes and the street is filled with excited, happy, drunk, party animals. Some come our way, some go the other.

Three girls stop in front of us. They all look over Sugar and then myself. I can see them judging us. Them wearing there expensive party clothes. High heels. Tight dresses. Designer hand bags. I know these girls aren't addicts looking for a fix. They're probably spoiled little rich girls out for a night on the town. Partying their pretty little heads off. I know what they want before any of them even asks.

So does Sugar. She takes the last of the pot out of her bag and holds it out to them. The apparent leader of their little group reaches out and grabs it and stuffs it in her Gucci handbag. One of the other girls hands Sugar the money and the three of them walk away giggling their heads off.

"I fuckin' hate little bitches like that. They're entitled 'n' think they can do whatever the fuck they want. They're totally stupid though. I just robbed 'em. Totally overpaid fer that gram." Sugar laughs hollowly. "Let's get the hell outta here."

Sugar starts walking down the sidewalk in the direction of the nightclub. I still haven't gotten the hang of Sugar. Some of the times she all bubbly and welcoming and eager to have a conversation. But, the other times she's all closed up and distant. Especially when she is dealing. I suppose that just how she is though. There's two sides to her- drug dealer Sugar and talkative, outgoing Sugar.

There are still a couple little crowds of people hanging around outside the club doors. Typical I guess. Probably making plans for the rest of the night. They say New York is the city that never sleep. Well, they're right. At any hour of the day there is always something going on. You just gotta know where to go.

As we approach the door to the club, two guys are walking in a single file line towards us on the sidewalk. Odd. I wonder if they know each other. If they do why would they be walking like that. If they were friends they would walk side by side. Right? They get within a few feet and I give the first man a polite smile as we pass by. He walks passed me on my left and as the other is about to pass his shoulder crashes into mine.

I go stumbling back. "What the fuck, buddy?" I turn around to face him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see ya there." He says as some sort of lame ass apology.

"Ahhh!" Sugar screams. My back is to her, so I can't see why she is screaming. It's frightened sort of scream though. I take one last look at the man who bumped into me. He narrows his eye and then sprints away in the opposite direction. Forgetting him, I spin around quickly.

What I see is Sugar, a few feet from me, holding onto the strap of her purse. Another man is pulling on the bag part trying to steal it away from her. "Eva!" Sugar yells. She's doing all she can against the much bigger man, but barely has a grip on the bag.

I run over to her and push the guy trying to make him let go. The man's big hands hold tight to the purse. It all happens in a matter of seconds.

I pull my arm back, making a fist, before swinging forward and connecting my fist with the man's jaw. He releases his grip on the bag and staggers backwards.

The man turns his attention to me instead of Sugar or her purse. He wiggles his jaw back and forth trying to get the pain to fade away. I look between him and Sugar. She is standing there in completely shock, her bag clutched to her chest.

I'm about to look back at the man but something collides with my left cheekbone and eye. The intense pain radiates through my face. It's so intense my eyes water. "Take that you fucking bitch." I turn to see him shaking his right hand out.

"Didn't anyone ever teach ya not to hit a girl." I retort back. I try blinking my left eye but it hurts too much.

He narrows his eye at me. I can see the anger in them. He steps closer to me until his face is only a few inches away from mine. I don't stand down. I can't. This guy can't mess with me. Santana Lopez doesn't take shit from assholes like this.

"How dare you?" He raises his right hand above his head, open handed.

"Run, Sugar." I yell. Now is her opportunity to get away, bag in possession.

Sugar takes off running down the street in the direction of Danny's house.

The hand comes down and slaps across my face a second later. My head spins on my shoulders. The pain stings through my cheek and a taste of blood appears in my mouth. I slowly turn my face to look at the man. He is still standing inches from me. "Fucking bitch." Her spits in my face, gives me a shove, and runs away.

I turn around wiping his spit off of my face and watch him jog down the sidewalk the same way that his buddy disappeared in. I rub my right hand over my left cheek gently. I'm sure it's red and it definitely hurts like a bitch. I look around and there's nobody anywhere to be seen. It's incredible. There were probably a dozen or so people standing on the sidewalk outside the club before, but now there's nobody.

Sugar isn't anywhere, either. I can only hope that she ran all the way back to the drug house. I sigh and start off in the direction of the house. At least I know enough about where I am to make my way back to Danny's house.

At least that asshole petty thief didn't get Sugar's purse or the money or pills that were inside. That would've been bad. Danny would probably blame me or something. This way I am showing how loyal I am and that he can trust me.

I'm a block away when I start to hear voices. I've been walking with my head down looking at the ground. I have a pounding headache and a sore cheek. The adrenaline from the fight has faded away and the whole left side of my face hurts. I look up to see two figures standing outside Danny's house. It's dark so I can't tell who they are. One is a bigger figure with their hand on the shoulder of the small figure. The smaller figure fidgets and squirms underneath the grasp trying to get away bigger figure.

As I get closer the two figures come into focus. Karofsky and, to my pleasant surprise, Brittany are standing outside on the sidewalk into front of Danny's house. Karofsky holds Brittany in place for whatever reason. She doesn't say anything, but I can see the scowl on her face as I get closer.

I turn onto the houses sidewalk. "What happened?" Brittany asks, concern in her voice.

"We got mugged." I shrug and look down at the ground.

"Let's go inside." Karofsky's gruff voice huffs from behind Brittany. He turns around and both Brittany and I follow him into the house.

Once inside the meeting room Danny's eyes are on me. Everyone's eyes are on me actually. Danny, Brittany, Karofsky, and even Sugar. I see that she made it back in one piece.

"Oh, god. I thought that bastard was gonna kill ya." Sugar sobs and falls into a folding chair. She holds her face in her hands as she cries.

"I'm fine." I shrug.

"You don't look fine." Danny speaks now. "What happened?"

"These two guys came up to us. One of them shoved me as a distraction as the other went after Sugar to try and steal her purse. The guy that shoved me ran away as soon as he saw Sugar and the other man struggling over the purse. I punched him in the face and he let go. Then he came after me for retaliation and I told Sugar to run. That's pretty much it." I shrug.

"Okay. Well, Sugar here didn't let them get anything from her, so that's good. And you aren't hurt too bad, like you don't need a doctor or anything?" Danny asks awkwardly.

"No. I'll be fine."

"Good." The man yawns then rubs his hand over his face. "I'm going to bed then." With that he leaves.

I look from Brittany, who is standing right next to me, to Karofsky, to Sugar. She has stopped sobbing, but still has her head bowed, her hands on her knees. "I need to get out of here." Sugar's the one that breaks the silence.

She stands up and looks to Karofsky. "Will you give me a ride?" She asks determined.

Karofsky nods. "I'll go start the car." He slips passed me and goes into the garage.

"Are you gonna be okay?" I ask Sugar.

She sniffles and nods. "I think so. I just need to get away for a day or two. I'm sorry about what happened."

"No. Don't be. I'm fine." I attempt a smile for her. It hurts like fuck, so it ends up being a sort of half smile where only the right side of my lips lift. "Go. Get some rest. I see ya 'round."

"Ok. Thanks. Bye, Eva." Sugars mumbles and walks passed me and Brittany. She doesn't even address the blonde or acknowledge her presence. Sugar gives me one more sad look over her shoulder as she pulls the door for the garage open.

"Bye, Sug." I say. That pulls a tiny little smile to her lips before she slips out of the room.

As soon as the door shuts there are hands on my shoulders. Brittany turns me so we are face to face. "You're not fine." She whispers.

"Yeah, I am." I try to smile fully again, but I wince while doing so. Brittany frowns. Her right hand comes off my shoulder and I see it drifting next to my face. So gently that I can barely feel it, Brittany runs the tips of her fingers over my left cheek. It still stings, but not from Brittany touching it. It still stings from the slap. Her fingers dance over my skin softly, creeping high and closer to my eye. She's barely touching, but the closer she gets to my eye the more pain I feel. Finally. its becomes too much, I wince and pull my face away from her hand. I take a step back to put a little bit of space between us.

The look on Brittany's face is gut wrenches. She looks visibly upset. She's frowning and has big sad eyes. "I'm sorry." She says weakly. Brittany sounds like she's gonna cry.

"No. Britt. Please." I reach out and cup her cheek. "You didn't do this. I'm fine. You-"

"But, you're not fine!" Brittany nearly yells, I can hear the anger in her voice now. She tries to pull away from me, but I quickly grab her hand. I step closer to her again. I can see the tears filling up her eyes. "Your hurt." Her voice is so soft now. "Someone hurt you. Sugar came running in here yelling that someone hit you and was beating you up. I thought you were gonna be hurt really bad or…or worse. I was scared." A few tears slide down Brittany's cheeks as she speaks.

"Oh, Britt." I sigh. "I'll be okay." I pull her forward and wrap my arms around her waist. Brittany leans all of her wait into me. I struggle to hold her up as she wraps her arms around my shoulders and buries her face into my neck. "I got a punch in too. Give me some credit. Square in the jaw. Guy didn't even see it coming." I chuckle lightly while I run my palm up and down Brittany's back soothingly.

"That's not funny." Brittany mumbles against my skin. I feel her lips lift into a smile against my skin though.

"Maybe, maybe not. But, I'll be fine. It's just a sore cheek and probably a black eye."

Brittany pulls away from me so she can look into my eyes. Her eyes are full of worry and concern. "Your eye is already swollen and your cheek is all red." She frowns. "That asshole ruined your pretty face." Brittany ducks her head.

I bite my lip, thinking of something to say. Something to make Brittany feel better. It was my idea to hit that guy. I knew what the consequences were. I knew that he would fight back. This is on me.

I lean in and press my lips to her forehead, finally thinking of the perfect thing to say. Brittany looks up after I take my lips from the skin of her forehead. A ghost of a smile on her face. "Will you take care of me?" I ask. Brittany's whole face shifts from sad to a little bit of surprise then to calmer, happier. She nods enthusiastically. "Is there ice in the kitchen?" She nods again. "Okay, will you get me some ice for my eye and take care of me all night?" I ask with a hopeful smile.

"Yes. Yes. I'll do whatever you need." Brittany seems almost excited at the opportunity. I can't say I'm disappointed. I get to spend the rest of the night with Brittany. It was a rather stellar idea on my part. Brittany's face blooms into a confident smile before she leans in and presses her lips to mine.

"Ow." I mumble against her lips, but don't pull away. Brittany giggles against my mouth, kissing me, then pulling away with a happy smile. "There's that smile that I love so much." I say before I can think.

Shit.

Brittany smiles wider, her eyes twinkle. "Let's go." She takes me by the hand and leads me into the kitchen. Brittany walks us over to the counter, next to the fridge. She gently pushes me against the countertop. "Wait here." She whispers in my right ear then kisses me on the cheek.

God, she's so sweet.

I watch as Brittany looks through the drawers. At first I'm not sure what for. But, she eventually finds the clear Ziploc sandwich bags. She takes two and stuffs one inside the other. Brittany opens the freezer section of the refrigerator. She reaches inside and gets out a tray of ice cubes. Brittany cracks the ice cubes loose from the tray and then dumps half of them inside the sandwich bag.

"Ready?" She looks over at me and asks as she zips the bag closed. I nod. Brittany holds out her empty hand. "Let's go upstairs." She whispers. We walk up the stairs hand in hand. Brittany stops us in the hallway outside the bathroom. I glance over at her. She nods towards the room. "I'm gonna grab a hand towel."

"Okay." I breath out. She smiles sweetly before disappearing into the bathroom, seconds later she comes back out. Brittany takes my hand again and we continue down the hallway.

Once in her room I sit down on her bed. Brittany comes up and sits down next to me on my left side. She wraps the bag of ice in the hand towel then holds it to me face gently. I peel back at the coldness at first. Brittany frowns. I put my hand on top of hers and hold the bag of ice to the left side of my face.

"Can you hold that there?" She says with a twinkle in her eyes. A mysterious little twinkle. I can tell she has something planned.

"Y-yeah." Why am I stuttering?

"Good. I'm gonna change and then find you some pajamas." Brittany tells me. She stands up, but turns to face me. She bends at the waist and presses a kiss to my right cheek. Her lips linger there for a second before she pulls back. "Don't move."

Brittany walks around the bed so that she is behind me. I want to turn around and see what she is doing, but she told me not to move. I don't know how serious she is about that though. I crane my neck so that I can see her out of the corner of my eye, but I don't move the rest of my body. That's within the rules, right.

She pulls open one drawer of her dresser and takes out a orange t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. Brittany sets them down on top of the dresser. When she starts to pull her shirt over her head a snap my eyes away from her. It's not like I haven't seen her before, but I feel a little pervy watching her change without her knowing.

I stare straight ahead at the wall in front of me and wait for Brittany to be done changing. When she is she comes back around the bed. Brittany is wearing a red long sleeve t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. She sets something down on the side of me so I look over at it. The orange shirt and grey sweatpants. Those are for me.

Brittany kneels on the floor in front of me. She bends over and looks at the floor. I lean over so I can see over the edge of the bed. Brittany is down there untying my sneakers. She slides them off my feet like they are made of glass and she doesn't want to tug too hard.

When she finishes that her hands come to rest on my knees. "Let's get you out of these clothes." She says in the softest voice ever. Her fingers work their way up the tops of my legs until they reach my waist. Suddenly, my heart is beating a lot faster than normal. Her fingers playing with the button on my jeans before she undoes the button and then the zipper. "Up." She pats my hip with her right hand.

I lift my ass off the bed per her request. Brittany tugs the jeans down my legs. I squeeze my thighs together when the material gets passed my knees. I feel really exposed. I don't think I should though. This is Brittany. She's so gently and caring. Every touch is soft. Everything she does is with the utmost care.

The pants slide off my legs and Brittany folds them neatly and sets them next to her on the floor. She takes the sweatpants and starts pulling them up my legs. "Up." She says again. This time I lock eyes with her. I stand. I reach out, without breaking eye contact with Brittany, and put my hand, that isn't holding the bag of ice, on her shoulder for stability. The sweatpants lift up the rest of the way up my legs until they are firmly in place at my waist. They are a little big on me, but that's probably because they are Brittany's.

I drop my hand from her shoulder as Brittany stands. "Sit." She commands. I sit back down on the bed. Brittany takes hold of the zipper on my leather jacket and pulls it down. I shrug the jacket off and Brittany takes it and folds it in half before setting it on the bed.

Next, she reaches down and grabs the bottom of my long sleeve shirt and starts pulling it up over my head. She stops so I can remove the ice from my eye. I set the bag of ice on the bed next to me and Brittany pulls the shirt the rest of the way over my head. She folds that also and sets it on top of my jacket. She's so delicate. Brittany takes the orange shirt in one hand. I'm expecting her to pull the shirt on over my head now, but she doesn't. She pauses and looks over me. Her eyes shift over my face before falling to my chest then return to meet my eyes.

"On or off?" She asks.

"What?" I ask.

Brittany licks her lips. "The bra. On or off?" Her eyes never leaving mine.

"Oh." I bite my bottom lip nervously. "Um- I would sleep better with it off."

Brittany nods subtly. "Off it is then." She gulps.

My heart beats even faster. If it beat any faster than this it might just beat right out of my chest. It's racing.

Brittany bends at the waist and pushes the hand with the orange shirt into the bed next to my hip. Her lips ghost over my ear. A kiss is pressed to the spot just below my ear. A shiver runs through my entire body. "B-britt." I stutter out.

"Hmm." She hums and it vibrates against the skin of my neck. Her lips press against my skin over and over. She goes lower and lower. There simple little kiss, but she places dozens of them all of my neck. I don't even realize that her other arm is around me until the clasp of my bra snaps loose. I sigh as Brittany doesn't let up her assault on my neck. Her lips travel back to my ear. She takes my earlobe in her mouth and sucks on it. Brittany lets go and kisses my ear before pulling away completely.

I open my eyes lazily, barely aware that my bra is hanging off of my chest. Brittany smiles at me. No, smirks. This was all part of her plan. To get me in a kiss induced haze and remove all my clothes. She looks me straight in the eyes when she slides the material down my arms and off. As soon as my bra comes off she sets it with the rest of my stuff. Brittany holds the orange shirt over my head. I blink and lift my arms. She slides one arm into the t-shirt and then the other. Then the material comes over my face. I lower my arms at the same time that Brittany tugs the shirt into place. She finishes with a kiss to my forehead.

"Put the ice back on your face." She says and points to the bag of ice. I nod and reach for it. I feel like I'm under some sort of spell. My heart is pounding. I'm breathing heavier than I should be. And everything in my body tingles. A Brittany spell.

She takes all my clothes and puts them on the floor next to the bed. Brittany walks over to the light and flicks it off. The room falls into darkness. I'm about to move when I feel the bed dip behind me. Arms circle around my waist, hands clasp together in my lap. I can feel Brittany's breath in my ear. "You should probably lay down." She tugs at my waist and then she is gone. I scoot off the bed so I can pull down the bed sheets. Brittany beats me too it. She turns down the bed sheets and I climb in. I can barely see her in the light coming through the window. Brittany covers us up once we are both in bed.

I lay on my back and Brittany crawls up next to me. "Does it hurt a lot? I can get you some Tylenol." She asks softly.

"No. It's fine right now. Especially with the ice. Tomorrow might be a different story though." I shrug into the bed.

I feel Brittany's touch. Her fingers start playing with the material of the t-shirt that she gave me. They play over my stomach and it tickles a little. I squirm at the feeling. "That tickles." I tell her.

Brittany stills her fingers over my stomach. Her hand lays flat against my shirt. All of this under the blankets. "Sorry." She whispers. She's a lot closer than I thought she was. Her voice is right in my ear.

"T-hank you f-for taking care of me." I stutter. God, I'm such a mess.

"No problem, babe." Brittany presses her lips to my ear. "I don't want to see you hurt. And I'm really glad that you weren't hurt really bad. But, I really liked taking care of you. I'm gonna be bold here and say that it brought us closer together."

"Yeah." I swallow the lump in my throat. It definitely brought us closer together. And if this were any regular situation I would be over the moon. But, right now, I am starting to think that I'm in over my head. "It did."

"Do you want me to hold that for you?" Brittany asks changing the subject.

"No." I giggle. I roll my head to the side so I can see her face. She right there. An inch or two away. "I can do it. There isn't anything wrong with my arm."

"Okay. Do you need anything else?" She asks. That concern back in her voice.

"No. I think I'm good." I close the small distance between us and press my lips to hers. It hurts, but not a lot. There's no way I could do anything other then that though. I thought comes to me. I think it will be beneficially for both of us. "Well, there might be something."

Brittany perks up a little. "What? Anything?"

I try and swallow that lump in my throat again. Damn nervousness. "Could you- like- hold me?"

"Of course." Brittany breathes. It's hard to see her eyes, but I'm sure they are sparkling with joy. "Roll over."

I roll onto my side and Brittany scoots up behind me. Her front comes flush to my back. She molds into me. Her right arm wraps over my waist. We fit perfectly together. "How's this?" She whispers into my ear.

"Perfect." I whisper back. My heart rate starts to slow down and my breathing has returned to normal already. It's calming. Being like this, having Brittany wrapped around me, holding me.

I take the bag of now melting ice and drop it on the floor. It will probably be a puddle of water in the morning. I reach down with my right hand and grab Brittany's that is on my waist. I thread our fingers together and pull our hands up to my chest.

Brittany sighs behind me. I feel her whole body relax into me. I relax completely too. "Goodnight, Britt." I give her hand a squeeze for good measure.

She squeezes back. "Goodnight, Eva." She says and I can tell that she is already halfway to sleep.

It would be perfect except for one thing. Eva.

* * *

**I just want to thank everyone for reading and for all the follows and favorites and alerts and reviews etc. I read all the reviews. Thanks again. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

When I wake up Brittany is still curled into me. Except she's not spooning me like she was when we went to sleep last night. I'm laying on my side facing her. Brittany's arm hangs limply over my waist. Her head is under my chin, every time she breathes little puffs of air hit my neck skin. My hands are tucked between our bodies, between her chest and mine.

She is amazingly beautiful when she sleeps. I don't know if I've ever seen anyone look both adorable and breathtakingly beautiful while they sleep. But, Brittany is all that and so much more.

I lift my hand to stroke my fingers over her cheek. My cheek, of course, hurts like a bitch today. I obviously haven't seen myself in a mirror, but I can see the swollen skin under my left eye when I look down. I can't open my eye all the way either. I bet I have a pretty awesome shiner.

I pull myself away from Brittany so I can see her face when she awakes. As my fingers stroke over Brittany's skin her eyes flutter and then open slowly. She looks at me for a few seconds before a smile graces her face.

"Good morning." I whisper. My fingers stroke over her cheek again and again.

Brittany licks her lips. "Morning. You have a pretty nasty black eye." She bites at her lip now.

"I figured. Does it make me look tough?" I try to smile, but it hurts too much.

Brittany sees it on my face. "Try not to smile. But, yeah, you look very tough, babe."

Brittany used that word a few times now. I don't know how I feel about it. Don't people usually use words like babe and baby and honey once they're been together a long time and are very familiar with each other. I don't know exactly what Brittany feels, but the use of the word makes me think that she has or is developing serious feelings for me.

"Okay. I think I'm gonna need that Tylenol. My face really hurts."

Brittany nods. "I get it for you. Will you meet me downstairs? I have to start breakfast."

"Yeah." I nod.

"Good." Brittany leans in and gently presses a kiss to my lips. "Meet you down there." She gets up without changing out of her pajamas and leaves the room.

I roll over onto my back and stare up at the ceiling. I've gotten myself into a real mess here. I'm almost one hundred percent positive Brittany has serious feelings for me, like love feelings. And I know that I am having some feelings for her. But, that's as Santana not Eva.

I'm also starting to think this whole undercover operation was a bad idea. Maybe not a bad idea, but like I want to quit it before anything else develops between Brittany and I. I know that deep in my heart I'm in too deep already. I don't know how this is all gonna play out in the end, but now all I'm hoping for is something good. The last thing I want to do right now is break that sweet girl's heart.

With a heavy sigh I heave myself out of bed and head downstairs.

* * *

It's weird wearing Brittany's clothes outside the drug house. It's even weirder being outside the drug house with Brittany.

After breakfast Brittany informed me that we were going shopping. I looked at her funny, but she insisted. She pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and dialed a number. Brittany spoke on the phone with someone. When she hung up she told me Fitz would be here in an hour.

Brittany got me a towel and a fresh shirt from her dresser and rushed me into the bathroom to take a shower. I showered and put her shirt on. When I was done in the bathroom Brittany showered and changed.

It's weird. I look down at the red shirt with yellow dots that I am wearing underneath my leather jacket. This shirt is definitely something I could see Brittany wearing, but not so much myself. She even offered me pants but I told her that I could just were my jeans from yesterday.

She's sitting next to me in the back seat of a very expensive looking towncar. Which is also weird. She said she hardly ever goes out so I guess I'm lucky to be going on this outing with her. But, I feel like I'm being babysat. Fitz is driving the car. He showed up almost exactly one hour after Brittany got off the phone. He escorted us the to car that was parked along the side of the road out in front of the house. But, not before Brittany got some money from Danny.

All I got from Danny was a threatening look.

I haven't said anything to Brittany during the whole ride. I don't want Fitz to overhear anything. I don't like him. Something about the boy rubs me the wrong way. I call him a boy because he can't be twenty one years old yet. He's so smug and full of himself. Makes me want to puke on his expensive shoes. He looks in the rear view mirror at us every once and a while. It's juvenile but I want to stick my tongue out at him every time I catch him looking.

Thankfully, the drive to our first destination didn't take too long. About twenty minutes. Fitz parks the car in the parking lot of a strip mall. It's parked away from all the rest of the cars. The expensive car looks completely out of place in a mall parking lot.

"What are we doing here?" I turn to Brittany and ask as soon as Fitz gets out.

She doesn't have time to answer cuz he opens her door. Brittany points to her left eye and winks.

"Oh." I breath.

I follow Brittany out of the car and we both follow Fitz into the strip mall. Brittany takes the lead once we are inside. It seems like she knows her way around, so I just let her go wherever is it she wants to go. Fitz tags along behind us.

The first stop is in a little beauty store. Brittany steps inside. "I'll wait here." Fitz's voice rings in my ears. I even can't stand his voice.

"Okay." Brittany says without so much as a look in his direction. I get a feeling she isn't a big fan of his either.

We step further into the store. "Thank god. I can't stand that little prick. With his greasy hair, expensive suit, and slimy smile." Brittany chuckles at my words as she looks over the cover up. "What's his deal?"

Brittany glances in my direction. I'm standing right next to her. "Whaddaya mean?"

I shrug. "How did he get the honor of being your personal chauffer? And why does he wear those suits? He looks like such a jackass." My fingers dance over the little bottles on the counter in front of me as I await an answer.

"Hmm." Brittany holds up a bottle to my face. "He needed a job and that was the only position that Danny trusted him in."

"Why did he need a job?" I ask curiously.

Brittany turns to me again, holding up another bottle. "I think this one will do." She wiggles the little bottle of concealer in front of my face. "And about Fitz, his mommy and daddy work for Danny. On the money end of things. Fitz's parents get a, lets say, healthy paycheck from Danny. Thus, Fitzy boy has a healthy amount of money. He doesn't buy those suits with his own money." Brittany clicks her tongue and raise her eyebrows after she finishes. "But-" She points a very non-threatening finger at me. "-you didn't hear that from me."

I play along. I pinch my fingers together and move them across my lips in a fluid motion. "My lips are sealed."

"Good. Now let's purchase this so that your face looks a little less ugly."

"Hey!" I shout.

Brittany laughs as she walks over to the cash register. When I catch up to her she is at the counter. She pays and we start to walk out. Brittany takes my hand in hers and leans into my side. "You could never look ugly." She whispers in my ear and seals it with a kiss.

My cheeks flush. How she makes me feel like a giddy schoolchild with my first crush I will never know.

"Let's get you all fixed up." Brittany says. She doesn't let go of my hand as we exit the store. Fitz is there leaning against the wall looking incredibly bored. He probably is and I don't feel bad about it. He sees our intertwined hands and shoots me a dirty look before his eyes turn to Brittany. He opens his mouth to say something, but Brittany cuts him off. "We're going to the restrooms." Brittany says. Fitz rolls his eyes, but nods his head.

Fitz follows us all the way to the door of the ladies bathroom. "God, that little fuck is annoying. He's like a lost puppy dog just following us around."

"That's his job. However menial it might be." Brittany quips. I chuckle a little. "Now hold still."

"Britt, I can do this myself." I protest. I love Brittany taking care of me, but I'm not helpless.

"Let me." She kisses me and that ends any and all arguments.

After Brittany put the make up on my black eye, it only looked slightly better, you can still see that it's covering something up. After we left the bathroom we walked around the mall of for a while. Going in some stores and passing up others completely. Brittany seemed to get bored after about an hour and we left.

Brittany has a list and a pen out as we walk up and down all the isles of the grocery store. Fitz walks behind us. Can't he stay in the car or something? How annoying.

Brittany made me in charge of driving the shopping cart. She told me it was a very serious job and that she didn't let just anyone do it. Fitz has never steered the cart, but Brittany said she trusted me to drive today.

"You want anything special?" Brittany asks out of nowhere.

I look around. "Me." I point at my chest with my index finger.

"Yeah you, silly." Brittany chuckles. "Who else?"

I slump against the shopping cart. "I dunno. Fitz?"

Brittany eyes shift behind me to where Fitz stands and she starts shaking her head subtly. "No." He's been yakking on the phone, I doubt he heard me say his name.

"Oh." I scrunch my nose up.

"Sooooo?" Brittany lingers at the front of the shopping cart. She leans over it and puts her hands on the sides. "Do you want anything _special_?" Brittany emphasizes the final word.

A chill runs down my back. "N-no." I stutter.

"Fine. Suit yourself." She spins on her heals and walks away from the shopping cart and me. "But-" She stops and pulls some canned vegetable off of a shelf. Brittany brings them over to the cart and sets the inside. "-don't forget I gave you the option." She turns around again and walks down the rest of the aisle. I follow after her aimlessly wondering what she means.

The grocery store ends up being a maze of aisle after aisle. Brittany picks and pulls items off of shelves. She fills the cart with everything you need in a kitchen. I've had a few of her meals and they were all good. But, I'm guessing she has a great range. She probably doesn't make too complicated of dishes because I can't see her spending hours cooking, but Brittany is probably a great cook. Simply, easy, hearty dishes. Meat and potatoes kind of stuff. The things she probably grew up with. I just get that sorta feeling.

"Last chance. Are you sure you don't want anything?" We are in the bakery and Brittany is looking over all of her options. "Whatever you want?" Brittany looks over and makes eye contact with me, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Uh-" I try to think of something, anything. I look over the display case that has every pastry and dessert inside. Brownies, cookies, donuts, all sorts of yummy bakery treats. "-how about that." I point to one of the items in the case.

Brittany smiles proudly. "Good decision." She licks her lips. Brittany hails the bakery attendant over.

"What can I do for you today?" The attendant asks.

"Yes. I would like three raspberry filled donuts and those." She points to the item that I pointed out. "Please." Brittany adds with a cheesy smile.

The attendant boxes up the three donuts. "There's the donuts. How many brownies did you want?" The attendant man asks Brittany.

Brittany directs her eyes to me. I shrug. It's not my decision. "I don't know half a dozen." I tell her.

She turns back to the bakery guy to relay the message. "We'll have a dozen."

"Okay." The man says and starts boxing them up.

Brittany turns to me with a smartass smile. I roll my eyes. "Why'd ya do that?" I ask.

She shrugs. "I didn't think six would be enough."

I want to ask her _for what_, but the attendant gets her attention by handing her the box of delicious looking caramel covered brownies. Brittany takes the box, puts it in the cart, and walks away.

We proceed to the check out with Fitz following along behind us. He purchases a soda from the little machine and goes out to the car. Brittany and I handled the bags into the trunk before shuffling into the back seat.

Fitz drives us back to the house and parks in the driveway. The little asshole doesn't even bother asking if we need or want help carrying the groceries inside. "Fuckin' useless bastard." I mumble under my breath. Fitz walks arrogantly into the house.

"He's not worth it." Brittany must have heard me. She lifts two bags from the trunk and walks towards the house. The garage door opens as she walks over. I follow Brittany with my two bags into the garage then into the house.

When I step into the meeting room it's filled with smoke, and dark as usual. But, it's also full of bodies. People are milling about the room. There's music playing. It's too loud to hear anything. I follow Brittany through the room into the kitchen.

"What was that?" I ask as the door shuts and seals the kitchen from all the noise.

"A party." Brittany shrugs. "It's fairly common occurrence. Let's go get the rest."

I put my bags down on the table and follow Brittany back into the other room. There are people everywhere. Some sitting, some standing, some on the laying on the floor. There is a hint of alcohol in the air along with the smoke. Partiers have drinks in their hands. Some are smoking pot. I'm guessing everyone in this room is either high on something or drunk. It looks like a big fucking mess to me.

Where did all of these people coming from? And is Danny here? Brittany and I weren't gone that long. A few hours. Three maybe. None of this was here when we left. I would have no idea if I didn't come in this room that there was a party going on. You can't tell from outside the house. How did all of these people get there? Don't they have cars? Did they walk?

"Are you coming?" Brittany's voice has me looking away from the 'festivities' going on in the room.

"Yeah. Sorry." I snap out of my thoughts and return to the tasks at hand.

Brittany and I are putting the groceries away in the kitchen. The beat of the bass vibrates through the floor. "Do you want to join the party? After we are done you can." Brittany says. She is unloading items into the refrigerator.

"Do you?" I counter. She shakes her head. "Then neither do I."

Brittany whips around to face me. Her eyes are a little wide, her face surprised. "Really?" It's my turn to nod. "Sweet." She pumps her fist in the air.

I giggle at her reaction. I would rather spend time with Brittany than go to that party or whatever it is. Heck, I would rather leave the house than got to the party.

We are almost done with the groceries, there are just a few more things to put away. Brittany showed me where most of the food goes and it goes by fast. That is until I come across the donuts and brownies. "What about these?" I ask and hold the two items up, one in each hand.

Brittany looks over. That devilish smirk is back. "Put the donuts on the counter by the microwave and hold onto the brownies. I'm gonna need those in a few minutes." I quirk an eyebrow at her, but Brittany ignores it and finishes up with her last bag of groceries. I put the donuts on the counter like she said and stand there holding the box of caramel brownies. "You like milk, right?"

"Y-yeah." I wrinkle my face up. What does milk have to do with anything?

"Good." Brittany reaches into a cupboard above the sink and gets down two tall glasses. She takes the jug of white milk out of the fridge and fills both glasses to the top. "Follow me." She takes a glass in each hand.

I'm about to ask about the brownies in my hands. "Bring them with." Brittany says as if she can read my mind.

I follow Brittany up the stairs and into her room. She sets the two glasses of milk down on the dresser. She pulls her jacket off to reveal the unicorn shirt that she is wearing. It's really a regular horse, but the horse thinks it's a unicorn and has a rainbow colored cone strapped to it's head. It's a cute shirt.

"You and your brownies sit down and get comfortable." Brittany smirks at me. "I'll be right back." She skips passed me out of the room.

I go over and sit on the bed and set the brownies down on top of the blankets and wait. I don't have to wait long because Brittany comes strolling back in like she owns the place a couple minutes later. I have no idea where she went or what she did. She looks the same as when she left. Nothing seems different about her.

Brittany grabs the two glasses of milk and sits on the bed next to me. We both have our backs to the headboard. "Don't spill on my blankets. I don't want to have to change them." She hands me a glass of milk. "I thought we could have a picnic in the yard, but then thought it was too cold and a bad idea. Then I thought we could have a snack, inside. That's why I wanted you to get something _special_ at the grocery store."

"Oh. That's- nice." I say dumbly. Brittany giggles. God, I'm so awkward. "This was a good idea, Britt." I try to sound a little more confident and less like a flustered teen.

Brittany opens the box of caramel brownies, takes one out, and hands it to me. "I should have brought napkins." She comments while taking out a brownie for herself. "Oh, I know." She singsongs. Brittany hops off the bed, brownie in hand. She goes over to the stand that the tv sits on and opens one of the double doors on the front. To my surprise, she pulls out a roll of paper towel. Brittany hops back over to the bed and sits next to me.

"What are those doing in your room?" I ask between bites of my brownie.

Brittany shrugs. "Don't remember." Brittany finds the tv remote and flicks the tv on.

The volume is low while Brittany changes the channel again and again looking for something to watch. She probably goes through fifty channels before she finally picks something. I finish my brownie before she does. We watch the show for a while until it goes to commercial.

"Want another?" Brittany breaks our conversation silence.

I do want another, but I shouldn't have another. They were so great though. Possibly the best brownie I've ever had. The caramel on top only made it that much better. I had one already, I shouldn't have another.

"Sure." The word slips out of my mouth without me knowing.

"Okay." I watch Brittany as she picks another brownie out of the box and hands it to me. As soon as I have the brownie Brittany sticks her fingers into her mouth and starts to slowly lick them clean. I forget about the brownie in favor of watching her. She slowly stick one finger on her right hand in her mouth at a time, before sucking on it, then releasing it, and taking another between her lips.

I may or may not have let out a soft moan at the sight.

Brittany finally picks up a brownie of her own and takes a bite out of it. I reluctantly turn back to the program on the television.

"How often are there parties downstairs?" The music thumping through the floor is hard to ignore. As far as I can tell Brittany's room isn't above the meeting room, but you can still hear the party going on from where we are.

"A couple times a month. Danny lets some of his best dealers throw a party. It's a win-win for him. It boosts his business and has junkies coming back for more. The only problem is that I have to clean up the next day."

"That sucks." I can't imagine that would be any fun. Cleaning up other peoples messes is never fun.

"Yeah."

"So, why didn't you want to partake? I kinda got the impression that you don't want to be around that." I finish my second delicious brownie and turn my full attention to the wonderful girl next to me.

"I don't like drugs." Brittany takes a drink of her milk. "I don't do any drugs. Occasionally, I'll have beer or wine, but I don't drink hard liquor. I don't know. I guess I don't understand it. Kinda hypocritical of me, right?"

"Not necessarily." I think about it. "I mean- why do you stay around them then?"

"I don't know. I think it's like I said before, I don't know anything else. This is all I've known for the last seven years." Brittany shrugs, looks away from me, and drinks the remainder of her glass of milk.

I move the box of brownies and our milk glasses to the floor. Brittany raises an eyebrow at my actions. "Come here." I open my arms. Brittany questions me with her eyes. I nod for her to move closer to me. Brittany moves over and snuggles into my right side. I wrap my arms around her back. She rest her head on my chest just under my chin. I start rubbing my hands up and down her back and press my lips to the top of her head. Brittany sighs contently when my fingers come up and start running though her hair.

My feelings for her are starting to scare me. She does things to me that I've never felt before. She makes my heart beat harder than it's ever beat with anyone else. She gives me butterflies sometimes and other times she turns me on with just a look of her eyes. She's amazing and I'm starting to realize just how much.

Brittany doesn't deserve to be here. She doesn't deserve this life. She deserves a better life. A more fulfilling life. A more exciting life. Brittany should be able to do whatever she wants, go wherever she wants, whenever she wants. She deserves more. I want that for her. A part of me wants to give that to her.

* * *

The phone rings once, twice, three times. "Answer the phone you little twat." I mumble under my breath. The call goes to voicemail after the fifth ring.

I hang up the phone and walk away from the payphone booth. I look around cautiously, then start walking down the street. I really need to talk to Puck today. This is the first time I've had a real chance to call Puckerman since I got the info about Rory and Danny from Brittany. She supplied me with just what I needed.

I walk three blocks west and then four blocks north before I start searching for another payphone. It's another three blocks before I finally spot one. The thing looks like it's barely standing. It's Plexiglas is cracked. There's graffiti all over the box part. And it looks older than shit. When I step inside, I see it's dirty too. Gum is stuck to every surface except, thankfully, the phone itself. I'm just praying right now that the damn thing works.

I dial Puckerman's desk phone again and pray that he answers this time. I don't need to spend my whole day walking around New York City trying to get a hold of the man. It starts ringing. One Ring. Two Rings. Three.

"_Hello, this is Detective Noah Puckerman, how can I help you?"_

"Hey, Puck." I laugh into the phone. It's funny hearing him answer the phone like that.

"_Why are you laughing?" _Puck asks hesitantly.

"How's it going man? How you been? Miss me?" I ask instead. Now that I've reached him I feel better, good, great even.

"_Answer my question first, then I'll answer yours."_ He says seriously.

"You're no fun. I was laughing cuz you sound stupid answering the phone. Now you answer my questions." I demand.

"_Okay, but first, why are you in such a good mood?"_

"Let's just say I've had a good few days." I grin into the phone. Minus the black eye, it's been great recently.

"_O-kay."_ Puck says skeptically. _"I've been good too. Mostly working. Went out with the guys from the department last night. We had fun, but we missed you."_ Puck admits.

"Aww. Puck missed his favorite wingman." I'm the one who always gets the ladies for him. "But, enough chit-chat. I'm in such a good mood because I have some very interest news for you. Well- that's part of the reason I'm in a good mood."

"_Geez, with the way you are talking I'd think you're getting laid."_

I make sure to reply quickly. "Don't be ridiculous, Puckerman. I'm undercover." What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

"_Okay, so what's this news?"_

"I got some information. Like _real_ information that I think will really help us out." I pause to think of what I should start with first.

"_Well, lay it on me sweetheart."_

"First of all, yuck. Second, you ready for this. Get your pen and paper out. You might wanna write this shit down cuz it's that good."

"_S-Eva, just tell me."_ Puck groans. Okay, so I guess he's not as amused as I am.

"So, I was talking with Brittany. She seems to know everything. She's like a actual, real life, fly on the wall in this place. Anyway, we were talking and I eventually asked her about that Rory guy, the Irish one. She told me how Rory and Danny are connected. You're not gonna believe this. Are you writing this down?"

"_You haven't actually told me anything yet." _Puck grumbles over the line. _"Spit it out."_

"Fine. Chill your panties. This Irish guy came to the United States when he was sixteen, I guess. I don't know if that's really that important or not, but whatever. He works for Danny, but only sometimes. He has a very specific job to do for him though. And Rory rarely comes around. He isn't a dealer. He doesn't sell drugs. His role is so much more serious than that."

I stop, look at my surrounding, lick my lips, and start again.

"Rory's is part of the Irish mafia. I didn't know the mafia still existed. I mean I know it still exists, but I don't think it was so- organized. So, this Irish kid came here at sixteen and joined the mafia. Are you still there?" Puck hasn't said anything about Rory yet.

"_Yeah, I'm still here. I'm writing this down like you requested. One question though. I still don't understand what Rory's connection is with Danny?"_

"I was just getting to that." I swallow and drop the volume of my voice. "Rory is a hitman. Danny hired him as a hitman. Brittany said that she heard the two of them talking about having someone murdered. She said that she heard them talking before and after the hit. She didn't know if there were more murders or not, but she knew for sure about one. It was over something stupid too. The guy that got whacked was selling Danny's drug, but keeping the money. When he didn't pay Danny back, Danny had him killed. That's some crazy shit. I'm never crossing that man."

"_Good idea." _Puck starts out with. I can almost hear him thinking through the phone. _"This is definitely good info. I can say with almost certainty that we can nail Danny now. Hopefully, this Rory kid too."_

"That's good. I'm getting sick of this shit. It's stressful."

"_I'm sure it is. With this new information we can at the very least bring Danny in. We have him on drug charges. With this I can get a warrant for his arrest and search warrants for the house. Do you know where he keeps his stash?"_

Shit. That's a good question. "No. I don't actually. I'm only allowed in some parts of the house. He's gotta have it in a room I've never been in, cuz I haven't even seen it."

"_That's alright. That's the point of the search warrant. We'll find it. I'm gonna do my research on our boy Rory, but this is very good. Do you know when they will both be at the house?"_

"No. Rory doesn't come around often."

"_Okay. If you find out when both of them will be there at the same time call and let me know right away. If we can get them together in the same place it will be easier to take them into custody."_

"Got it. I'll call as soon as I know anything. Talk to ya later." With that I hang up the payphone. I look around to make sure no one is watching. It's clear. I stuff my hands in my leather jacket pockets and walk away briskly.

* * *

I knock three times on the front door. The slot opens, eyes spy me, the slot closes, the door opens. Karofsky stands there holding the door for me. "Good afternoon." I nod my head at him. He nods back, but like usual doesn't say anything. I step past him and start down the hall. The secret door is no match for me anymore. I push it open with practiced motions. It seems like just yesterday that Karofsky showed me how to open it, but it's been a few weeks now.

The meeting room has a handful of occupants in it. I go to shut the door, but Karofsky is standing in the way. I didn't realize he had followed me. I'll let Karofsky handle the door. It looks like Danny is having a meeting with this group of people. Brittany is sitting up there next to him. I smile and wave at her when I see her. She smiles back. I take a seat at the back of the room and wait for Danny to finish.

After another boring morning of watching tv at my studio apartment it feels good to be back in this house. It's weird, I know. I would spend more time here if I could, but I can't be here all the time. I need to 'keep up appearances'.

I listen as Danny talks about a 'mission' for this group of people sitting before him. I see Danny glance over at me a few times, but he keeps on task and keeps talking.

Several minutes pass. The group disperses and Danny summons me to the front of the room, closer to him.

"I have your money." I dig my hand into my jacket pocket and pull out the cash for Danny. He takes it and starts counting. "You seem busy today." I decide to make small talk while I wait. My eyes shift to Brittany and she's smiling at me like a fool.

"Yeah. I've got many little operations going on at once. I called that group in to make sure everything was under control. I don't need anyone screwing up and getting this whole crew in over their heads. Things need to go the way that I write them up, otherwise it doesn't work. It's like a well oiled machine. All the individual parts have to be working smoothly or the whole thing will break the fuck down." Danny says his speech as he counts the money. He sections off a chuck for me. He holds it out towards me. I reach out to take it from him, but he pulls it back. My eyes finds his with a questioning glare. "Before I give you this I want a report on everything that you've been doing for me."

"Okay." I lick my lips nervously. "I've been selling coke to my friends. That's been my main priority so far. In the past week or so I've gone out with Sugar and learned from her through her sells. And I've gone with Sam too. I've actually learned a lot from him. Sam and Sugar have different methods of sales, but they both seems to do well for themselves. I hope to take what I've learned from both of them and apply it to my future sales. I know you want me to be more involved and sell more and I feel like I'm close to being ready to do that." The words that come from my mouth are pure bullshit. Part of me is satisfied that I can con this man so easily.

"Very good. I'm seeing some progress and confidence in you, Eva. It's very promising. If you continue on this path you will be challenging Sugar and Sam for the top sales spot in no time." Danny holds the money out to me again. This time when I reach for it he doesn't pull it away. "I'll have Karofsky bring you your stuff. Hang tight. I have to use the pisser. I'll see you later." Danny turns to Brittany. "You too. Later."

Brittany nods. "Bye." She adds quietly.

Danny stands from his throne chair with a grunt. He slowly walks out of the room. I sigh as soon as Danny is gone. He makes me tense whenever I'm around him.

"How are you?" Brittany asks quietly.

My eyes shift from the door where Danny left over to Brittany. She sitting relaxed in her chair with a soft smile on her face. "Good. How are you?"

"Okay." Brittany pushes herself up and out of her chair. She takes the few steps that separate us until she is right next to me. She puts a soft hand on the left sleeves of my leather jacket. "Your eye is a different color today."

"Oh." I breathe out. I can see out of the corner of my eye as Brittany lifts her hand. Her fingers barely make contact with the skin under my eye. "I've tried not to look in any mirrors."

"It's not so much a blue color anymore, it's lighter now, a purplish color." She says as she examines my eye. "Does it still hurt?" Brittany takes her hand away and looks me directly in the eyes.

I shake my head. "Only a little when I wrinkle my face up. It's not as bad as it was a few days ago."

"That's goo-od." Brittany stutters as we hear the door open up. We both turn to look over at who the intruder is. Karofsky is standing there, awkwardly looking at us. He has a little brown baggie in his hand.

"I'll take that." I hold out my hand and walk over to the big man. Karofsky hands over the bag. He eyes me up and down, then his eyes shift behind me to Brittany. He narrows his eyes at her before suddenly turning and leaving.

I turn around so I'm facing Brittany again. "Why was he looking at you like that?" I ask defensively. I definitely didn't like the way Karofsky was eyeing Brittany.

"He doesn't like it when I get too close to Danny's employees. He had to break up a fight between me and Sam after I broke up with him. He doesn't want to have to get involved in personal business. He's just doing his job. It's nothing."

I frown. "That doesn't really make me feel better. I don't want him looking at you like that. I don't want him thinking negatively about you."

God, when did I get so defensive over Brittany?

She smiles cutely at me. "Don't worry about him." Brittany reaches out and takes my hand. "Let's go upstairs." She suggests.

Brittany tries to tug me behind her, but I keep my feet planted to the floor. "Actually, I think I have a better idea."

"Oh really, what's that?" Brittany swings her hips from back and forth. It's astonishing how she can be so adorable and sexy at the same time. It's effortless for her.

"How would you feel if I asked if you wanted to get out of the house today?"

A big grin takes over Brittany's face. She squeezes my hand in hers. "Excited. I would need to call Fitz and ask him if he can come over."

"NO. Britt. Not Fitz. He can't come with us. I just want it to be me and you. You don't need a babysitter. I don't know why you can't go out by yourself, but it's not right. It's not fair. You should do everything you want to do without someone breathing down your neck. Britt, please no Fitz." I plead with her.

It's sad that Brittany is so shelter from the world. She can't go outside without someone questioning what she is doing. Brittany's young. She should be out exploring the world. She should be doing the things she wants to do. Instead, she in this house all the time and I want to change that.

Brittany's frowning at me. I know she's not convinced. At least not yet. "We can sneak out. No one will have to know. Danny seems too busy to even think about what you're doing. Karofsky is probably at the front door or with Danny, so he's not a problem." I put a hand on Brittany's shoulder and look straight into those crystal blue eyes. "Do you trust me?" I raise an eyebrow in question, not breaking our stare.

Brittany rubs at the back of her neck. "Of course." She whispers.

"Then come with me. I'll be Fitz. I will watch over you. I will be with you the entire time. I won't let you out of my sight." I lick my lips nervously. "I will protect you."

Brittany perks up. Her whole face lights up, starting with her eyes and finishing with a cute little happy smile. "So, you'll be like my knight in shining armor. Fighting for me."

"Uh- sure." I say awkwardly. If that's what Brittany's needs to think for me to get her out of this house, then fine. "Is that a yes? Can we do this?" I run my hand from her shoulder down the length of her arm to her hand. I tangle my fingers with hers and give her a tug.

Brittany nods. "But we have to go upstairs so I can put something warmer on."

"Okay." I smile at her. "But, no funny business. I want to get out of here for the rest of the day."

"Alright." Brittany pouts.

"And no pouting. Today is suppose to be fun. An adventure. Let's go." I tug on Brittany's hand. She steps forward and takes the lead through the house.

* * *

We went up to Brittany's room. She put on a warmer shirt and then her jacket. Brittany dug around in the top drawer of her dresser until she pulled out winter hats and gloves. She stuck a red and black stocking hat on her head and then handed one to me.

"I'm not wearing that." I shake my head and cross my arms over my chest.

"Don't be silly, Eva. It's almost winter. It's starting to get cold out." Brittany scolds me. I feel like a kid again and my parents are yelling at me, as I run out the door, to put a hat on, as I go out to play in the snow.

"I'll be fine. I'm tough."

Brittany crosses her arms over her chest too. The hat tucks into her armpit. "I'm not going anywhere unless you are wearing this hat."

"Fine." I look over at the corner of the room and hold my hand out. I feel the hat in my fingers seconds later. "I'm gonna look ridiculous." I shove the grey hat with tiny red reindeers on top of my head.

"Nuh-uh. You look cute." Brittany kisses my cheek as she walks passed me. "You have to wear this warm gloves too." She says. "Come on."

Brittany's at the bedroom door. I spin around to see her holding two pairs of winter gloves in one hand. Her other hand is on the door knob. She smiles as I approach her. I roll my eyes. Yet again, Brittany is getting her way. She smacks me on the ass with the gloves as I walk passed. I jump a little, but continue out the bedroom door.

Brittany shuts the bedroom door and we walk down the hallway as quickly and quietly as possible. We have a mission and there's no way that I'm gonna screw it up. The kitchen is empty when we get down there. Brittany turns to me at the bottom of the stairs and holds her finger to her lips. I nod and she steps into the kitchen, stops, and listens. I don't hear anything and apparently neither does she. Brittany tip-toes across the kitchen floor to the back door that goes out into the yard.

When she gets to the door and opens it she waves at me for to come over. I, too, tip-toe across the kitchen floor as quietly as possible. Brittany ushers me outside and shuts the door behind us. She looks at me for a quick second before holding out her hand. I grasp onto it and Brittany smiles. She takes off in a run. I'm dragged along for a few seconds before I'm able to get my feet beneath me. When I do, we run together across the small yard and over into the neighbors yard. We are halfway across when I hear a growl and then barking starts. A big dog jump out of it's dog house at us. I scream. Brittany squeezes my hand as the dog runs at us. She starts running away from the dog. It keeps barking as we cross the yard. Finally, the dog stops with a yelp as the chain chokes around it's neck.

I start laughing as the threat is eliminated. I look over to Brittany, she's looking back over her shoulder at the dog. The small smile on her face blooms and turns into a full blown laugh. She jogs to the right and I follow her. We laugh and run between two houses until we come out to the street. At the sidewalk, I double over from the running and laughing. Trying to catch our breath Brittany rests a hand on my back and breathes in and out heavily next to me.

"Oh my god." I breath out. "That dog scared that crap out of me."

"That was awesome." Brittany chuckles.

I stand up and eye Brittany. "It kind of was." I agree with a dopey smile. "Shall we continue?" I swipe one hand out in front of me.

"What are we gonna do?" I've been waiting for Brittany to ask that ever since I brought up the idea of getting out of the house.

"What do you want to do? This day is all about you and what you want to do. It's totally up to you. You can pick anything you want and we will do it. Within reason, of course."

Brittany bites on her lower lips for a second. I can see her thinking. Her eyes narrow a little and she looks like she's focusing on something off in the distance. Brittany's eyes shift, focus on me, she licks her lips, then speaks. "Can we get ice cream?" She asks quietly, shyly.

"It's kinda cold, but sure we can do whatever you want." I hold out my elbow for her. Brittany wraps her arm around my elbow and I start walking down the sidewalk away from the house. I have a feeling that we need to get as far as from Danny's house as soon as possible. We can figure out what to do as we walk.

"Or maybe cotton candy." Brittany says after a few steps. I glance over at her and she is staring off into space again. Thinking. "Can we go to the movies or maybe bowling?" Brittany blinks and her eyes flicker over in my direction.

"We can do whatever you want." I remind her. I pat on her arm that's in my hold with my gloved hand.

"I want to go to the movies, and bowling, and to the park. I want to get ice cream and cotton candy. Can we do that?" She asks excitedly, a huge happy smile on her face.

I chuckle lightly. "We might not be able to do all of those things in one afternoon, but someday we will do everything on your little list. I promise I will take you bowling or to the movie theater, but we can't do both in one afternoon. There's just not enough time."

I look over to see her reaction. Brittany's still smiling, but it's calmer now. She's nodding her head. "I get that." She comments.

At least we are on the same page now. "What do you want to do today? What's the most important thing on your list?"

I look from the sidewalk in front of me quickly to Brittany, then back to the sidewalk, so I don't trip and fall. I'm expecting an answer from Brittany, what I'm not expecting is for Brittany to stop walking. I don't expect the kiss she plants on my lips when I stop walking too. Her lips massage over mine for a second before I kiss her back softly. I'm a little speechless when she pulls back. That must reflect on my face because Brittany is grinning at me smugly.

"W-what was that for?" I stutter and lick my lips.

"Just because. Because you are the most amazing person ever. Because we are doing this. Just because." Brittany shrugs.

I stare at her for a few seconds. "Okay." I'm not sure about Brittany explanation, but I'm not gonna complain about her kissing me.

"Let's go to the candy store and the park." Brittany says after a few quiet seconds. She starts walking down the sidewalk again. "I know just the place."

"Then lead the way." I fall into step next to Brittany as we walk.

After we walk a few blocks and then making a right turn and walking about a half dozen more blocks Brittany leads me into a candy store. We walk down one aisle along the outside of the store. Brittany tugs me into the next aisle with instructions.

"I'm getting cotton candy. What are you getting?" Brittany asks tugging on my left arm and pulling me down the aisle.

I shrug. "I don't need anything."

Brittany turns so that's she's stopped in front of me. I stumble into her before taking a step back and raise an eyebrow at her. "Every trip that you take to the candy store you have to leave with something." My brow furrows together. Brittany continues. "If you don't get something then we can't leave." Brittany taps me on the nose, then turns around and skips away from me.

Brittany disappears around the end of the aisle. I can see her head bobbing as she walks down the next aisle. She stops for a couple of seconds, then continues walking. I could turn around and follow the blonde head with my eyes, but I don't. I stare at everything around me. At the end of the aisle is a little stand with assorted licorices on it. On the shelves around me are all sorts of hard candies. I suppose it doesn't matter what I get. I could just grab a bag of something and Brittany would be happy. I could grab anything in the store and it wouldn't matter. But, I might as well get something that I actually like and will eat. I'm not a huge candy person, but I do have a few favorites.

I hurry to the end of the aisle and pick up a bag of black licorice before turning the corner and going down the row Brittany went down. Except she's not in that row. I look around me, over the tops of the shelves as much as I can, but I don't see Brittany's blonde head anywhere.

I hurry down to the end of the row that I am on. I look left. I look right. She's not at the end. I go to the next aisle and peek around the corner. Not on that aisle either. I go to the next and look around the corner again. That's when I spot her. I step into the row that Brittany is on and hold my hand over my heart. It's beating a lot harder than it should. My brain reminds me that I almost just lost track of Brittany. The consequences of that happening would be devastating. I don't want to know what Danny would do to me if I came back to the house and told him that I lost Brittany. I run down the aisle and grasp at Brittany's elbow when I finally reach her.

"Hey." She says with a bright smile.

"Brittany, I didn't know where you went." I breath out in a rush, worried.

Brittany squints her eyes at me for a second. Then a frown comes to her mouth. "I thought today was about me." She says sadly.

"It is." I confirm for her. When did I said that it wasn't?

"Then why are you treating me like everyone else does. I'm not a baby, Eva." She pouts and turns her back to me.

That's when I realize my error.

"Contrary to popular belief I can take care of myself. I don't need someone watching after me and observing my every move." She folds her arms over her chest and walks away from me.

I realize what's happening. What I'm doing. I'm treating her like Fitz treats her. I'm treating her like a child and not an adult. I'm doing exactly what I didn't want to do. Doing what I set out _not _to do. But, somehow I'm just like Danny or Fitz, treating Brittany how I don't want her to be treated.

I gasp leaves me in own realization. "Brittany, wait." I follow Brittany as she turns down the next aisle. "I'm sorry. I just-"

"You just what?" Brittany spins around to face me. Her face is tense with anger. "You wanted to protect me _or_ make me feel like everyone else does? Cuz you did a bang up job. I thought you were different, but you're just like the rest of them." Brittany spits out her words before spinning around again. She walks towards the front of the store.

When I catch up to Brittany, she is paying at the cash register. There is a bag of pink cotton candy on the counter in front of her. The cashier hand Brittany her change, she grab the bag of cotton candy, and walks away from the counter to the door.

"Brittany, wait." I yell after her. Brittany pushes the door open and I take off into a run.

"Hey, lady, you have to pay for that." The cashier yells at me.

I stumble and look down at the bag of licorice in my hand. I don't have time for this. I drop the licorice. I hear it hit the floor the second before I push the door open. I look left and then right. Brittany is walking heavily half a block away.

"Brittany." I yell after her.

It takes me a whole block to catch up to her. "Brittany." I grab onto her elbow and try to stop her. She rips her arm out of my grasp and walks faster down the sidewalk.

"Britt, I'm sorry." I try and plead. "Brittany." I sigh pathetically. I'm such an idiot. I wish she would just stop and listen to me. This is not how I wanted this day to go. I wanted it to be special. I wanted Brittany to feel special. Now I've ruined it by being stupid.

I groan heavily and follow after Brittany. I don't try and stop her again. Brittany walks and walks. I walk behind her by about twenty feet with my head hung low. I stare mostly at the sidewalk as I walk. I'm mostly thinking about how I've done Brittany wrong and how I can make it better.

I feel terrible. I've done to her what everyone before me has done to Brittany. She deserves better. She deserves to be treated better. She needs someone to respect her and treat her like the smart, beautiful woman that she is.

I follow Brittany until my feet hit something other than sidewalk. Woodchips. I look around and see that we are in a park. Brittany wanted to go to the park and here we are at the park.

I watch as Brittany walks over to the swings and takes a seat at one. She opens up the bag of cotton candy and take a little fluff out. She nibbles on it and starts to swing gently back and forth. I go over and take the swings right next to hers. I sit there, Brittany doesn't say anything, neither do I. After a few minutes I scuff my toes in the dirt and take a deep breath before I speak.

"Brittany, I'm sorry. I just- I just didn't know where you went. I know that it was irrational, but I got scared for a second. I know you can take care of yourself. I know that you hate when Fitz follows you around or that Danny makes him do it. I know that I shouldn't have acted like I was following you around like they do. I just wanted to know that you where safe. It was stupid of me. I told you earlier that I would protect you. I wanted to, but I did it in totally the wrong way." I look over at Brittany to see her reaction to my words. Her face is blank as she looks out at the playground equipment in front of her.

"I should have let you do your thing instead of worrying about where you were. I shouldn't have come up to you sounding worried and wondering where you had run off to, even if it was just on the other side of the candy store. Brittany, you deserve to be treated with respect. You deserve so many things and I'm not giving them to y-you." My voice starts to crack. For whatever reason I can feel tears forming in the corners of my eyes. "You deserve so much more that I can give you. You are a beautiful, wonderful, strong, woman. I told you today was all about you and I took that all away with the way I acted. I'm sorry." I sniffle, trying to hold the tears in, but they start to fall. "I'm so sorry. I ruined your day. I'm sorry that I am just like them." I suck in a labored breath after my last word. I'm trying to hold it together, but failing miserably. I can't even look over at Brittany, I'm so ashamed of myself and my failures. If Brittany notices that I'm crying she doesn't say or do anything about it.

There's an awkward silence between us for many minutes. I sit and twist back and forth on my swing. The tears slowly leaking from my eyes. I'm not looking for forgiveness. I'm not sure what I'm looking for from Brittany. Maybe nothing. But, I'm not going anywhere. I will sit out in the winter cold as long as Brittany is sitting next to me. And when she decides it's time to go, I will walk with her back to the house. That's how I can protect her now. And when we get back to the house I will leave. If she doesn't want to see me again I will understand.

It's silent, except for all the city noise, for a long time.

"When I was little I use to come to this park."

Brittany quite voice makes me nearly jump from my swing when she speaks. I glance over at her out of the corner of my eye, I can't look at her fully, she's leaning against the chain of her swing that's closest to my swing. Her gloved hand grips onto the chain and her head rests below that. She's looking at the ground. I glance down to see that she is drawing shapes in the dirt with the toe of her shoe.

"Once a week my mom and dad would bring me to the candy store. They told me I could pick out one thing. But, only ever one. I always picked cotton candy." She sighs. "Then after we got our candy -they always picked a something to share- we would come to this park. That happened once a week, usually on the weekend, on a Saturday or Sunday. I loved coming to this park. I would play on all of the equipment and they would sit on a blanket in the grass or at that picnic table and watch as I played." Brittany points over to a picnic table a little ways away from us. "Sometimes we had a picnic and had lunch, but most of the time we just ate our candy from the candy store. But, the swings were always my favorite. That's where a spent the most time."

"It sounds like you had fun. That sounds like a good memory." I comment. The tears have stopped falling from my eyes now. I wipe the wetness off my cheeks with the back of my glove covered hands. It's coarse as the material rubs across my soft cheeks, but it reminds me of why I was crying in the first place.

"I did and it is a good memory. It's one of my favorite memories with my parents and I wanted to share it with you today."

"You didn't have to, but- thank you." I say awkwardly.

"No, I wanted to. I needed to. I wanted to show you one of my favorite places as a kid. I wanted to share that memory of my parents with you."

It hits me hard at how much Brittany is saying with so few words. My eyes widen as I look over at her for real for the first time since we were in the candy store. She's worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She grips at the bag of cotton candy with her left hand. Brittany's right holds on tight to the chain of the swing. She looks sad.

"I miss them a lot sometimes." Her voice is sad and weak when she speaks. "This place is the only place I can go now that I can remember them. I've only been here two or three times since they died. Not much has changed since I was a kid, so it's not hard to remember all the times I was here back then. I really miss them, Eva." Brittany whispers and slumps forward in her swing.

I scramble to get up. When I get my feet underneath me, I shuffle over to stand in front of Brittany. I drop to my knees when I realize standing isn't gonna cut it. The pain that stings through them as they hit the ground is welcome. I gingerly rest my hands on top of Brittany's knees. She doesn't push them off, so I guess that's a good sign. I look up to see her face, but she avoids eye contact. "I'm sorry, Brittany. I'm sorry that you miss them. I'm sorry that they are gone and left you here. I'm sorry about earlier at the candy store. I'm sorry for being so stupid." I mumble that last one. My hands rub up and down the tops of Brittany's legs.

I don't expect what she says next. "Why were you crying?" Brittany lifts her chin and I can see her eyes for the first time. They are glassy, but no tears fall.

"Because I messed up and ruined your day. I wanted it to be special. I wanted you to feel special." I tell her honestly with a lame shrug.

I watch Brittany's tongue poke out between her lips and moisten them. "I may have been too harsh with you at the candy store. I'm sorry. It's just that I get trailed all the time and I may have taken it too far. I'm sorry I yelled at you. You're definitely not like the others. You are so very different. I appreciate it. That's one of my favorite things about you. You treat me like a princess some times, like today. You wanted to make today all about me and make it special and it was." Brittany takes her hand off the swing chain and bites the fingertips of her glove and pulls it off. Her warm hand comes to rest on my cheek. I sigh and lean into her touch. "You make me feel special by just being you, if that makes sense."

"Yeah." I breathe and nod. I small smile starts to tug at my lips.

"Now I feel like a ruined today by running away from you and being a little brat about everything." Brittany chuckles. "But, I'm glad I got to show you one of my favorite spots that holds such a special place in my heart. I truly wanted you to see it and know the story behind it."

"Thank you, Britt. I loved hearing about it. About your parents. About your family tradition. Thank you for letting me be a part of that." I turn my head and press a kiss to her palm. I turn back to her and she is smiling now. It's a relieved, pleasant smile.

I wait for her to say something else. My hands rubs circles into her jeans as I wait. But, she doesn't say anything else. She just look at me, into my eyes. The glassiness has cleared from her eyes and the are crystal clear and bright blue. They shift down from my eyes for a quick second and then they are back.

Brittany bends over a little. She leans in closer to me. Her hand on my cheek tugs me forward. Her lips wrap around my top lip before she switches to my bottom lip. Brittany hums against my lips and her thumb swipes over the skin just under my eye. I lean forward further into the kiss. Brittany kiss me again before I press my lips to hers a few times. Brittany pulls away several seconds later and I blink my eyes open. It's hard to clear my head from the daze that I'm in, but I manage with a small shake left and right.

Brittany looking at me. Her eyes are sparkling now. They are so beautiful, just like the rest of her. I go cross-eyed as I keep my eyes on Brittany as she leans in again. She kisses the tip of my nose once, then twice.

"Let's go back to the house. It's getting late." Brittany says.

All I can do is nod. Brittany hooks her hands under my armpits and hoists me up as she stands.

We walk back to the house, mostly in silence. Brittany holds her cotton candy in one hand and my hand in her other. She has a happy grin on her face and I couldn't ask for much more. Today didn't end up being a total disaster. Brittany doesn't hate me. I learned more about her and I feel like it's brought us closer together.

When we get back to the house Brittany looks in the window of the door on the back of the house that goes into the kitchen. She waves her hand over her shoulder and I follow her inside. The kitchen is empty. No one seems to be around. Well, I don't hear anyone.

"No one even knew we were gone." Brittany giggles.

"So, was today worth it?" I step up to Brittany and pin her against the counter by the sink. She gasps, surprised. I wrap my arms around her waist and lock my hands together at the small of her back.

"Totally. It was worth it and so much more." Brittany sets her forearms on my shoulders. Her hands wrap around the back of my neck. She weaves one hand into my hair, the other rubs at the skin on the back of my neck.

"Even the part where we sorta got into a fight." I ask.

"So-" Brittany wiggles her eyebrows at me. "-was that our first fight then."

I shrug. "I don't know if I'd call it a fight. It was more of a misunderstanding."

"Does that mean we get to have makeup sex now." Brittany grins wickedly.

"Uh- um- uh-"

"I'm kidding. Sorta." She shrugs. "I would love that more than anything right now but-" Brittany looks over my shoulder at something. I turn my head, but I don't see what she's looking at. "I should get dinner started." She's frowning when I look back. I lean forward and kiss the frown right off her lips.

"Do you want me to help?" I ask.

"No." She shakes her head. "I don't think I would be able to concentrate. I'd probably chop a finger off because I was too busy looking at a sexy woman. You wouldn't want that, now would you?"

"No. You need to keep all of your fingers. They are a very important body part." I lick my lips after the words pass them.

"Definitely." Brittany hums with her wicked smile. "Kiss me." She requests.

I can't deny her that request. I stand up a little taller and Brittany leans down. Our lips connect. They swipe over each other again and again until we are both a little breathless. I don't want to pull away first, so I keep kissing her. My tongue pokes out and swipes across Brittany's lips. She moans, but pulls away. She licks her lips where my tongue just was.

"Don't want to get carried away. I don't think Danny would appreciate it if I had you on the table instead of dinner." Brittany says.

I moan out at the thought. "You're naughty."

"Only with you." Brittany shoots back.

"Okay, enough." I pull my arms from around Brittany. I pat her on the forearm with one hand when her hand come down from around my neck. "I'll go. I'll let you cook dinner without anymore distractions."

"Okay." Brittany bites at her lips as I step away from her. I take steps backwards so I can see her as I back away. I bump into something. "Careful." Brittany whispers. I glance down to see the chair. I step to the side, then walk backwards some more. I reach the door to the meeting room and push it open.

"Bye, Britt-Britt." I smile as I step back into the other room.

"Bye." She mouths, but I don't hear any sound. Her eyes never leave mine until the door swings shut and closes Brittany into the kitchen by herself. I take one more step backwards before turning around. The room is empty, as expected, a walk as quickly as possible out of the meeting room and out of the house. If I don't leave Brittany now I might be here for another night. Not that I would mind that. It's just that a little part of me is still trying to be professional. And god, it's so hard.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Hey, Brittany." I say when I see Brittany sitting in her chair. I eye her suspiciously. "Have you been waiting for me?"

Brittany ducks her chin to her chest. "Maybe." Her cheeks flush red.

I decide to change the subject and save Brittany from embarrassment. "Is Danny around?"

"He's in the kitchen." Brittany looks back to me. "I can go get him." She stands and takes a step towards the kitchen. I'm about to sit in one of the chairs when Brittany suddenly changes direction. "But, first-" Brittany walks over to me. She puts a hand on my arm and leans in. She presses her lips to my cheek, the one that got injured. My cheek doesn't hurt anymore, but I still have a black eye. "Your eye looks a little better today." She whispers against the skin of my cheek before moving her lips to my lips. Brittany kiss me quickly before pulling back. Her eyes roam my face until they still on my left eye.

"If by better you mine a different color, then yeah." I say sarcastically.

"That just means it's healing." Brittany says. Her fingers hover over the purple skin under my eye. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not really. Just a little. It's more irritating than anything."

"Well, I think you look tough." Brittany smiles kindly. "Sit down." She points to a chair as she turns away from me.

I sit and think about my day with Brittany that's upcoming. I just need to talk with Danny first and then I plan on getting out of here with her. We made plans to go bowling today and right now I'm just hoping we still can and that Danny doesn't come in the way of that.

The door to the kitchen swings open and Danny steps into the room, followed by Brittany. "Ah, Eva. You're back. Not that you were gone for very long. It seems that you spend a fair amount of your time in my house. Which I find very interesting? Though you always have my money for me and sell my product without any problems. Those _friends _of yours must be daily users. There must be a whole group of them?" Danny crosses the front of the room and takes his throne seat.

"Something like that." I say nervously. This is what I have been afraid of. Danny calling me out on spending so much time with Brittany and not doing my job. "I have about ten or so friends that I sell to and they have friends who buy from me as well. It's a very tight group, but they are regular cokeheads."

"Good to know. Do you have my moolah?" I reach into my pocket and pull out Danny's money. I walk up to his chair and had him the roll. Danny takes it and starts whistling as he counts the bills. I glance over at Brittany, she is standing over in the corner of the room by the kitchen door. I would have thought that she would have sat down. If not in her chair then in one of the numerous folding chair that lay scattered throughout the room. But, maybe, she has the same thoughts that I have. To get out of here as soon as possible.

I don't recognize the song that Danny is whistling, not that it really matters. He's pretty good though. I can't whistle worth a damn. A few minutes pass before Danny finishes his count.

"Looks good." He hands me my share. I take it and stuff it in the back pocket on my jeans. "And here's your next supply. Same rules as usual."

"Got it." I nod and take the brown paper bag with cocaine in it.

"What are your plans for the rest of the day?" Danny asks. He folds his hands together and sets them in his lap. It makes him look creepy. The only thing he could do that would be creepier would be if he were slowly stroke a cat on his lap.

"Uh-" I'm not sure what I should say.

"Eva and I are going bowling today." Brittany jumps in. Both Danny and I turn our heads to Brittany. She's still standing in the corner. Her arms are crossed over her chest, defiant.

"Really? Well, I'm busy this afternoon. I'll call Fitz up and get him over here. He can take you." Danny starts to reach for his pocket.

"No." Brittany moves now. She walks over in front of Danny, only a couple feet away from me. "I don't need a babysitter. We are perfectly fine going by ourselves." She tells the drug boss.

My eyes are a little wide in shock, but I'm super happy that Brittany is doing this, that she's standing up to Danny.

"I don't want Fitz or you or even Karofsky breathing down my neck anymore." Brittany tells him, then takes a step closer to me. The hair on my back of my neck stand up. She takes my hand and lifts our intertwined hands in the air between us. "Eva and I are going bowling and we are going by ourselves. We are both adults and can take care of yourselves. I will be fine."

Danny's mouth hangs open in shock. "Uh-" He sputters.

Brittany turns. "Let's go, Eva." I follow Brittany as she leads up out of the room. Danny doesn't or can't come up with anything to say. He doesn't try to stop us verbally or physically.

Once we are outside I stop Brittany. "That was so awesome."

Brittany grins bashfully. "It felt really good to tell Danny what I was thinking."

"I think that was more than just want you were thinking." I comment.

"Yeah. I've felt like a child for a long time. I let Danny have me babysat and followed around forever. I didn't know I needed to change that until I met you. You give me the courage to stand up for the things that I want and need."

I tilt my head to the side. I didn't realize I had such an affect on Brittany. "That's great, Britt. I'm so happy for you."

"It is great. I feel like things will start to change now with Danny. But, enough about that, right now I _want_ to go bowling. I don't think I've been bowling since I was in high school."

"Well, let's change that." I start us walking down the sidewalk again.

Brittany smiles happily the whole way to the bowling alley. And I smile happily because she is smiling happily. It feels great.

The walk to the closest bowling alley is a lot farther than I thought. On the way back we are definitely taking a cab. I push the big heavy door open and motion for Brittany to enter before me. It's dark inside the bowling alley. The lanes are lit up, but not much else is illuminated. The place is fairly empty. There are only two lanes with small groups bowling on them. I guess that's what you get for going bowling in the middle of the day.

We approach the counter and a overweight white man with a handlebar mustache eyes us. "What size shoes, ladies?" He says in a gruff voice.

"Nine." Brittany says.

"Eight." I say.

"How many games?" The man asks.

I look to Brittany, she shrugs. "How about we pay for one and if we want to play more I'll come let you know."

"Sounds good." He turns and goes into a little room behind the counter. The man comes back a few seconds later with two pairs of bowling shoes. Brittany bounces on her toes next to me as the man hands her the shoes.

I hand him a twenty dollar bill and he hands me the used bowling shoes. He goes to the cash register and gets my change, which is a whole two dollars. "Lane eight today, ladies."

"Thank you." I spin and lead the way over to our designated lane.

We change our shoes once we get to our lane. Brittany ran off before I can finish tying my bowling shoes to go find a ball to use. As I walk over to the rack of balls on the wall Brittany is walking back towards me.

"Look at my ball, Eva." She holds a bright pink bowling ball in her arms.

"It's very- pink." I chuckle.

"I like it. You should get a pink one too. Or maybe purple. I saw a really cool purple bowling ball over there. It was all sparkly."

"We'll see." I say as I walk passed her. This bowling thing was a really good idea. Brittany seems so carefree and happy and excited and just all around in a positive state of mind. It's great. I think she's been smiling since we left the house. And there's nothing better than seeing Brittany happy and smiling.

I pick a plain black ball. It's not a fun color like Brittany wanted, but it's a good size and weight for me to handle. I turn to go back to our lane and see Brittany sitting in the seat at the monitor. She's not looking down at it though, see is watching the group of three people that are four lanes over as they bowl.

"Hey." I get her attention when I come back.

"Oh, hey. I don't know how to work this thing."

"Let me see if I can figure it out." Brittany gets up from the seat and I take it. I look down at the monitor with confusion. It's not too complicated, I think I can figure it out it just might take a few seconds. It's been a long time for me too, since I've been bowling.

After a few errors, I finally input our names into the little computer/monitor thing and we are ready to bowl. I really hope this is fun and I don't make a total fool out of myself.

"You're up first." I tell Brittany. She stands up from the seat she was sitting in next to me. She bends over and plants a kiss on my cheek. My cheeks heat with the public display of affection. I just wasn't expecting it. I don't know what our rules or boundaries are when it comes to that sort of thing. Can I kiss her in public? Just on the cheek or on the lips? We've never had a conversation about anything like PDA. We have hardly been out in public together either. This is our third trip out of the house together.

Brittany grabs her balls and saunters up to the bowling lane. I have the most amazing view in the whole bowling alley. Brittany's backside facing me in those jeans that hug her ass perfectly. Her shirt rides up a little as she holds the ball higher in the air in front of her, the back of her shirt revealing a little sliver of pale skin. I bite my lip at the sight. Bowling isn't suppose to be a sexy sport, but right now I'm thinking it totally is. This may or may not have been a good way to spending my day.

* * *

"Hello, ladies." Danny voices vibrates through the room. I snap my eyes over to him when I hear him. "What's so funny?" He asks, looking between Brittany and myself. His eyes roam over our bodies or probably the lack of space between our bodies. Brittany's hip is tight to mine. Her left arm wraps around my shoulder and mine around her waist. Brittany's head rests on my shoulder or it was until she lifted it off.

Brittany was telling me a funny story about Sugar as we walked in the back door into the kitchen. Neither of us knew that Danny would be sitting at the kitchen table. Brittany had her face pressed up under my chin into the side of my neck. As she spoke her warm breath tickled the skin there deliciously. It might have looked awkward and hard to walk, but Brittany somehow managed. She walked sideways and I walked straight and somehow we managed to stay huddled like that as we traveled.

"Oh, hi Danny." Brittany straightens a little, but doesn't let go of me. I'm liking her new found confidence towards Danny. Not that she wasn't confident before, but this is a different kind of confidence. She is standing up for herself and the things she wants today and I really like that. "How was your day so far?" She asks cheerfully.

"Fine. Are you gonna answer my question?" He asks, not caring about anything else but an answer. I honestly don't understand him. Some of the time he is hard on Brittany and others he is carefree with her. But after Brittany's little exchange with him this morning I think he is on edge. He doesn't know where he stands with Brittany anymore.

Brittany shrugs against me. "I was telling Eva a story. It was funny. You know it. It's about Sugar. Remember that one time when we were waiting for her in the car somewhere. I don't remember where, but that's not important. She was late and we couldn't figure out why. Then when she finally slide into the backseat with us she had looked like she's seen a ghost."

"I remember." Danny smiles fondly now. "She had gotten in the wrong car and there was a giant dog in the backseat. She totally freaked. That was funny."

"Yeah." Brittany nods in agreement. "We're going upstairs." She informs him.

"Okay." He says with a smile.

Okay? He doesn't have anything other to say then okay? Just okay. With the way he was looking at us when we came in and now it's just okay. He looked like he was ready to yell at somebody for hours.

"Hey Britt?"

"Yeah?"

I clear my throat. "Does Danny have a problem with me?" Brittany stops us when we get to the top of the stairs. She furrows her brow together. "Well, with us." I motion between our bodies. "Like does he have a problem with us spending so much time together and _stuff._"

Brittany's lips curl at the corners. "And stuff? What stuff?"

"You know." My cheeks heat. "Like sex stuff."

Brittany laughs and shakes her head. "I don't think so. I think he's just trying to figure it out- what's going on between you and me."

I want to say _him and me both,_ but hold my tongue. I don't think Brittany would appreciate that.

"Do you want me to ask him?" Brittany turns to face me. She starts walking backwards and holds out her hands. I grab each hand in mine and walk with her.

"No." I squawk.

"Okay." Brittany giggles. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" I ask dumbly. I know where we are going.

"To my room." Brittany walks me towards the door.

"What are we gonna do?" I ask.

"_Stuff._" Brittany winks.

"Uhhh." I moan.

Brittany giggles and pushes the bedroom door open. She pushes it so hard that it slams against the wall. "Whoops." Brittany shrugs and pulls me into the room behind her. She shuts the door and walks us over to her bed. "Sit." She says and points to the edge of the bed. I do as I'm told.

Brittany goes over to her tv and flicks it on. She flips through the channels until she gets to the one that she wants. It's some sort of music channel. Brittany puts the remote on the little table that's next to her bed, then comes back over by me.

"What are you doing?" I ask as I watch her. She is standing a few feet in front of me, swinging her hips from side to side with the music.

"Nothing." She replies trying to sound innocent. She is anything but. Brittany's right hand starts at her collar and slides down her body. Her hand travels over her chest, in between her breasts, over her stomach, then lower. Brittany's hand slips between her legs, she cups herself over the fabric of her jeans.

I bite my lip from letting anything slip from my mouth.

Brittany's left hand comes down to the hem along the bottom of her shirt. Her fingers float up under the shirt so I can't see her hand. The fabric of her shirt moves as Brittany's hand moves underneath it, over her breast.

Her hand pops out from underneath her shirt and Brittany flicks open the button on her jeans. She moves her hands to her hips and pushes the jeans off of her waist. Brittany's jeans fall to the floor and she steps out of them. Her right hand goes back between her legs. She rubs over the fabric of her underwear. When a hear a little whimper I look up at her face. Brittany mouth is hanging open and her eyes are closed.

"Britt." I whisper.

Brittany's eyes pop open and she looks straight at me. Our eyes lock and Brittany grins wickedly. She turns around abruptly and bends at the waist. Brittany lifts up the back of her shirt and shake to the music, her ass sticking out, her little red panties flashing in my face.

"Britt." I whimper. Holy crap, she's so hot. No, I'm so hot, as in, hot and bothered. I reach up with my right hand and slip my fingers under the collar of my shirt and tug on it. It's really hot in here all of a sudden. Maybe not all of a sudden but- it's sure hot.

Brittany spins back around. Her fingers are on the buttons of her long sleeve button down shirt. She starts with the top button and slowly works her way down until her shirt is completely unbuttoned and hanging open. I can see the color of her matching red bra in the opening. Brittany's tight stomach is also on display.

Her feet start moving towards me and before I know it Brittany is straddling my legs and sitting on my lap. Her thighs squeeze around my hips and she grinds her hips down into my lap. I close my eyes and squeeze my legs together. I can feel the moisture pooling there. Brittany's hand cups my chin and lift my head up. I open my eyes to her smirking face.

"You're so sexy." I moan and lean in for a kiss. Brittany holds my face back so I can't move though.

"No touching." Brittany scolds with a warning glare to accompany the scolding.

"Uh-"

Brittany's smirk returns. She removes her hand from my face. Both hands go to her shirt and she pulls it off of her shoulders. Brittany takes her shirt by the sleeve and spins it around above our heads. I ignore the shirt and watch her muscles in her arm as they move. My eyes are drawn to her chest. Her cleavage bouncing up and down with her movements. I lift my hand and scrape over my skin just above the bra of Brittany's right breast.

"No touching." Brittany shouts and slaps my hand away.

I pull my hand back quickly and look to Brittany's eyes. They're dark and heavy. She shoves my shoulders and I fall back onto the bed. Brittany scoots up a little and wiggles her hips against me to the beat of the music. Her bra comes off next so that she is sitting on my pelvis in just her red underwear.

Brittany stands up off of me after about a minute of grinding and swaying to the music. I lean up on my elbows so I can see her better. She's dancing and swaying to the music in front of me. I'm not really sure where to look. My eyes drag up the length of her body starting at her feet and drifting upward until I reach her face.

"Britt, come here, please." I whine. Brittany's eyes snap open and she stares at me. It's almost like she can see right through me. Like Brittany can read my thoughts and see into my soul. It makes me shiver. It's scary, I've never met anyone that I've felt that way with. I've never felt so connected to another person. She wiggles her eyebrows and steps over to me breaking my thoughts.

I sit up in anticipation. Brittany sits down in my lap. My arms encircle her as soon as she sits. I secure her in place, locking my hands at her back.

"I thought I said no touching?"

"I don't care. I need to touch you. You're driving me crazy." I husk into her ear as I pull her closer to me. My lips attach to the skin on her neck just below her ear and suck, hard. Brittany takes a sharp breath in, her fingers weave into the hair at the back of my head, she grips and pulls. My head jerks back, but I try my hardest to keep my lips to her skin. I kiss up and down the column of her neck, sucking kisses into her skin greedily.

When I reach her collarbone I pull back to get a look at her chest. My hands come into the mix. I grab a hold of each of her breasts with my hands. One works over a nipple and the other massages at the palmful of fleshy goodness. Brittany moans out in pleasure on top of me. Her hips are doing a wonderful dance in my lap. I dip my tongue into the hollow of her collarbone, but kissing open mouthed kisses along the length.

"Clothes. Off." Brittany pants.

She gets off of me and the loss of heat between us is startling. I want to stand up and follow her. I try to stand and reach for her, but Brittany pushes me back to the bed. "Clothes off. Now." She's breathing heavily, her chest heaves up and down with every breath. Each time it does I want to lean forward and attach my lips.

Instead, I pull my leather jacket off, followed immediately by the sweatshirt that I am wearing. Once that is over my head, my t-shirt and then bra come off. Winter's a bitch. I hate dressing in layer, but it's either that or freeze my tits off. I stand up and wiggle out of my pants as Brittany watches my clothes fall to the floor around us. As soon as I am in just my underwear Brittany steps closer to me again. Her hand cups my cheek and pulls me in for a passionate kiss. It's lips, and teeth, and tongues, and hunger.

Brittany steps into my body, I take a step back. The backs of my legs hit the side of the bed. Brittany comes closer until I am falling back onto the bed. She lets me fall back. When my elbows hit the bed I rearrange myself until I am laying with my head on a pillow.

Brittany climbs on top of me with that cocky little sexy smirk on her lips. She's kneeling above me with one knee on each side of my thighs. Brittany runs her fingers up and down my sides. It tickles and I wiggle and squirm underneath her. On her next downward stroke Brittany tucks her fingers into the waistband of my underwear. She pulls them down my legs and tosses them behind her. Out of the corner of my eye I see them land on the top of the tv that is still playing music.

I'm about to laugh about it but her lips on the inside of my thigh get my attention. My eyes snap down to where Brittany is now laying between my legs. I start to freak a little. She can see me, like all of me, right now. I want to clamp my legs shut, but at that very second Brittany's eyes flick up to meet mine. Something flashes through them and the need is gone and is replaced with a new need, a new want.

I reach out with my left hand and tuck blonde hair behind Brittany's ear. She smiles into the next kiss that she places on my thigh. These aren't greedy, hungry kiss. They are soft, slow, calm, _loving_, kisses. She travels up my one thigh before switching to the other, starting at the knee and coming up towards my hip. I tangle my fingers in her head behind her ear.

I feel like I need something to hold onto, to ground myself. The things I am feeling right now are so big. I feel like I'm gonna float away if I don't have something to hold onto. My other hand finds Brittany's left hand and I grip it hard. Brittany stops her ministrations and look over at our joined hands. She pulls my hand to her lips and kisses the back of it.

"You okay?" She asks.

All I can do is nod. I nod vigorously. She smiles goofily. Brittany returns to her spot in between my legs. She's so close to my center that I can feel her breath on my the wet skin there every time she exhales.

"Ready?" She looks up and asks.

I nod again. Brittany changes the hold on my hand. She lets go and readjusts so that our fingers are tangled together and interlocked. Somehow, that's so much better. Brittany rests our hands on my hipbone and I see her lick her lips.

The first lick makes me yelp out. I wasn't ready for it. Well, I was ready, but also not. Brittany presses her lips to my clit in a closed mouth kiss then her tongue swipes out and licks over the spot. My hips shift against the bed. Brittany goes lower, licking through my folds a few times before reaching my entrance. She presses a kiss there, but again sticking her tongue out and licking over the area. Her hand gives mine a squeeze and then she slips her warm tongue inside of me. That hand squeeze must have been a warning.

I try my hardest, but my hips buck up against Brittany's face. She tries to hold me down with her one free hand, but it doesn't work too well as I keep thrusting my hips searching for more friction. Brittany's works her tongue inside me before licking through me again and finally returning to that bundle of nerves. She licks over my clit, then sucks, then circles with her tongue.

"Britt." I moan. "More."

She gets the hint cuz seconds later there are two fingers pumping in and out of my center. My hips lift and start to rock in a rhythm with Brittany's in and out. She's building me higher and higher. Her fingers work their steady rhythm and her tongue works it's own magic. She licks through me once more. Her lips close around my clit and suck and it's like an explosion.

My fingers in her hair dig into her scalp. My ass lift up off of the bed. My hips bucking against Brittany's face. Every muscle tightens and shakes at the height of my orgasm. I wanted to keep my eyes open, but they slammed shut and I'm seeing stars behind my eyelids. Many seconds pass before everything releases and comes flooding back to me.

I fall back to the bed and start breathing again. My breathes come deep and heavy. My hands loosen their grip on Brittany, that's when she removes her fingers from inside of me. I see her, out of the corner of my eye, stick them in her mouth and suck them clean. Next, she leans back in and laps at me, cleaning the juices from me with a delighted hum.

"Britt." I roll my head to the side and take in deep breathes. "Britt." I say again. I pull at our connected hands. I want her up by my face. I need to kiss her. "Britt. Come up here." I'm starting to get my breathing back. "Britt." I tug hard and she finally moves.

I let go of her hand so that I can cup of face with both of my hands and pull her in for a kiss. I'm not good at emotions but they are so big inside me right now. I need her to know that. I need her to know. I kiss her and kiss her and kiss until I need to breath again.

"God, Britt." I smash my head back into the pillow. "I mean fuck that was unbelievable. I don't have words."

Brittany smiles bashfully.

"Come here." I pull her in again and kiss her silly. "It's my turn now." I mumble against her lips.

I push against Brittany's shoulder. She rolls back and her lips slip away from mine. I roll forward into her until Brittany is on her back and I can crawl on top of her. My lips find hers again. I suck on her bottom lip. Brittany moans into the kiss. With a little nip I work away from her lips. I kiss along her jaw line to her ear. I take Brittany's fleshy earlobe between my lips and give it a good tug. I lick the skin around the shell of her ear.

Brittany's hands grip at my shoulders. She holds me to her body as I kiss down the column of her neck. Her hips jolt and search for more contact. When I get to the spot where her pulse beats in her neck I lick over it before sucking hard. I want Brittany to remember this tomorrow when she looks in the mirror and sees a dark bruise on her skin.

My lips move lower to the marvelous skin of her chest. One of Brittany's hands weaves into the hair at the back of my head. She holds me tight to her chest as I drag my lips over the skin. Brittany moans as I take a perky nipple between my teeth. I poke my tongue out and stroke her nipple before releasing it. I move my attention to Brittany's other breast, taking it in and swirling my tongue around the nipple.

Brittany is all sounds. Moans and grunts and groans of pleasure are being emitted from her. It's satisfying to hear that those sounds are because of my actions. They only spur me on. I slip my left hand between our bodies and run my fingers through her. Brittany hips rise off of the bed into my hand. I grind down, sealing my hand between our bodies, and returning Brittany's ass to the bed.

My lips press to the skin between her breasts, slowly going lower and lower. I kiss over the freckles on her stomach, worshiping her pale skin. My lips travel over each and every one of Brittany's ribs. I scoot further down on the bed the lower my lips travel. My fingers toy with Brittany's clit, circling and stroking, sliding over her wet skin easily. I slide my lips over to Brittany's hipbone, placing a kiss there before going lower. I place a delicate kiss to one kneecap and then the other. I start placing small light kiss on the inside of her leg and working higher up Brittany's inner thigh.

Brittany's wiggling and squirming. I look up to her face and see that her hair is all disheveled and sprawled across the pillow. Her eyes are closed and she is biting on her lip. "Britt." I whisper. I know she hears me because the muscles in her face twitch, but she doesn't open her eyes. "Brittany, look at me." With that she opens her eyes.

Her eyes lock with mine. "God, Eva. Please." Brittany whines. I would laugh at how desperate she sounds, but I understand her need entirely. I was in the same position not that many minutes ago.

"As you wish." I move to get into a better position between Brittany's legs. I put my hands under each of Brittany's legs and lift them up. Brittany helps until her legs are hanging over my shoulder, down my back. The sight in front of me is almost unbelievable. I lick my lips before diving in.

I place a kiss to the bundle of nerves at the top and work my way down. Another kiss to her folds and one more over her entrance. I swipe my tongue through her and she tastes better than I had imagined. My tongue circles her clit a few times before I need another taste. I pull my tongue through her folds again. Brittany jerks her hips up into my face. I push on her hips with my hand to try and keep her still, pretty much to no avail. I circle her entrance before slips my tongue into her. Brittany lets out the loudest moan yet. Her hips lift and she tries to grind into my face. I slide my tongue in and out of her, licking at her.

"Eva." Brittany yells. I remove my tongue from her and lick through her one more time. I reach her clit again and swirl my tongue around it. I take my left hand from her hip and slide it under me. I insert two fingers into Brittany and she rides them for everything she's got. I thrust in and out of her with my fingers and wrap my lips around her clit and suck and flick over it with the tip of my tongue.

Brittany's walls clench around my fingers. Her hips work in double time. The hand that's on the back of my head pulls at my hair. Her legs clench around my head. My fingers still inside her, but I keep my mouth on her clit.

"Eva." Brittany screams. She goes stiff before taking in a big gasp of air and flopping back to the bed. I hear her breathing heavily. I look up when she releases my head from between her legs to see Brittany staring down at me with half-lidded eyes. Her chest heaves up and down as she searches for air. Her hand in my hair tugs. I move with her tug until I am laying on top of her with my face hovering over hers. Brittany pulls me down into a hard kiss. Our lips clash together and our teeth clink against each others.

Brittany pulls away after a couple of seconds. Her need for air more important than her need for kisses. I move my lips to her cheek and kiss over her cheekbone. I kiss her eyebrows, her nose, her chin, before pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

Brittany wraps her arms around my back. She squeezes me tight. She has dopey smile on her face. She looks like she is in pure bliss.

I look over her features and her eyes roam my face lazily. One hand comes up and brushes the hair away from my face and behind my ear. "I love you."

I'm not sure that Brittany knows the words that just left her mouth. I'm not sure how I feel about the words that left Brittany's mouth.

"Uh- Britt?"

"Yeah?" She says tucking my hair behind my ear repeatedly.

"Uh- you just said-"

"I know what I said. And I meant it." Brittany's hand tucks behind my ear and pulls me into another kiss. It's a slow, languid kiss. Brittany tilts my head to the side and changes the kiss, teasing my top lip before pressing in firmly again.

I want to panic. I want to grab my clothes and run out of the room. I want to- I don't know. But, with Brittany holding me and kiss me like this I can't. I can't run. It's like my body won't let me. I relax into Brittany's hold not realizing that I was tense. She kisses me on the cheek and starts rubbing her hands up and down my back.

"Let's get under the covers." Brittany whispers in my ear.

I sit up and let Brittany turn down the covers on the bed. We climb underneath. Brittany lays flat on her back and I curl into her side. Her arm wraps around me and I lay my head on her chest and lay my arm over her waist. Brittany drags her fingers up and down my arm softly. This is nice. It's comfortable. I feel completely at peace. I think I should be freaking out and panicking, but I'm not for whatever reason. And that's nice too.

* * *

After spending the afternoon with Brittany, some awesome sex, and Brittany saying those three words I'm back at my studio apartment with nothing better to do then think.

And of course my thoughts all revolve around Brittany. The girl is all kinds of wonderful and if the situation were different I would feel better about our relationship. Whatever that relationship is, I'm not sure. Brittany said she loved me. We aren't dating, she's not my girlfriend, but she told me she loved me. What am I suppose to do now?

If I'm honest with myself I do have feelings for Brittany. I might even go as far to say that I might be in love with her. But, that's between me and myself. No one else can know that. Not even Brittany. I am a detective for the New York City Police Department and I am on an undercover operation to take down one of the nastiest drug lords in the city. I'm not suppose to get into a relationship or fall in love with anyone while I'm undercover. But, that's what happened and now I have to figure out what I want to do. Do I risk my relationship with an amazing girl or do I jeopardize my career?

Now that Puckerman has all the information that he needs I just need to supply him with a time and a date. That's it. It's that easy from here on out. This whole undercover operation is coming to a close.

But, what happens after the raid? What's gonna happen when Brittany finds out my true identity? Is she gonna want to be around me anymore? Is she even gonna be a free person or is she gonna be locked up with Danny? I know for certain that there is enough evidence to send Brittany to jail. Is anything between her and I even going to matter after the raid? I can't see Brittany truly hating anyone, but it's a possibility that she could end up hating me for what I've done.

That's the worst. That I have betrayed Brittany, that I have used her, that I let her love me and in the end all of that might get tossed away like garage. I certainly don't want that to happen. I don't want to hurt Brittany in any way. I want to help her. I want to get her out of the life she's in. If there was some way to do that that wouldn't ruin my career or ruin Brittany, I would do it. But, right now I'm stuck.

Now isn't really the right time to be thinking about all of this. I should be focusing on the raid and everything that follows. I'm starting to wonder if I did the right thing or if I should have told Brittany who I really am, my true identity. I don't know how that would work though.

I roll over on the bed and smash my face into my pillow wishing for a miracle solution to all of my problems.

* * *

The walk over to Danny's is a pleasant one today. It's a mild day, light winds, and the sun is bright in the sky. Overall it's a nice winter day. I have a mission today. I have decided after much thought that I want to tell Brittany who I really am. She doesn't need to know that I'm an undercover cop. I can just tell her my real name and that Eva is an alias. People, mostly criminals, use aliases all the time. It wouldn't seem that strange in my situation.

Yes, it's still sort of like lying, but it's less of a lie. I know Brittany won't tell anyone either. Why would she? She has no reason to tell anyone that I used Eva as an alias. I can tell her that I didn't want to use my real name with Danny, that's it. It can be as simple of an explanation as that. I used an alias and I can tell her my real name.

It would be amazing to hear Brittany says the name Santana instead of Eva.

I walk up the sidewalk and knock on the door. It swings open to reveal Karofsky. "Must get boring just standing there." I comment. He grunts in return and shuts the front door. I swish passed him towards the meeting room where I know I will find Danny and possibly Brittany. If I don't run into Danny though I wouldn't mind.

I push the door open and step into the room. The first thing I see is a mop of dirty blonde hair. He's sitting at the front of the room facing Danny, who is a few feet away from him. To my surprise Brittany isn't in the room. But, I know that it's probably only a matter of time before she appears. Maybe that fancy camera system she had set up _is_ totally worth it.

"Ah, Eva." Danny claps his hands together. A cigar hangs from between his teeth. Danny reaches up and removes the cigar, but not before taking a puff from it. "How are things?"

"Fine."

"That's good. I was just talking with Sam here. He has agreed to help me out. Well, me _and _you. I asked if he would take you out with him one more time and he agreed. We were thinking you guys would team up sometime in the next week but-" He takes another drag from his cigar. "-seeing as you are both here right now, why not now?"

I want to say no. I have more important things to do right now. I need to talk to Brittany. But, I can't say no to him. There is no disagreeing with Danny.

"Sure, why not." I shrug.

"Great. You and Sam will go out. I already talked with Sam about the specifics of everything. I want you to know more about meth and pill sales. This is your last trial run before I send out on the street by yourself. That will be sometime at the end of next week. So, you've got little more than a week to learn as much as you can."

"O-kay." I say shakily. That's not what I want to hear. I don't want to be going on solo outings. That's not good for me. I haven't sold any drugs thus far and I want to keep it that way, but if I have to go out by myself what happens then?

"Okay. Now that that's settled you two get outta here. Get some shit down. I don't want to see either of you again until all this is gone." Danny reaches down beside his chair, he throws a bag of some through the air at Sam. The big lipped man catches it and stuck the bag inside his jacket. Sam gets out of his chair and starts walking towards the door.

"Let's go chica." Sam grumble. If I had to guess, I would say he isn't a fan of doing these missions with me either.

* * *

I showed up at the house today and did my business with Danny. After, Brittany took my hand, informed Danny that we would be upstairs, and escorted me through the house.

"Britt." I giggle as she pushes me back onto her bed.

"What?" Brittany ask seriously.

"Mmm. Nothing."

Brittany scrunches up her nose and then flops down on the bed next to me. She's laying on her stomach and I'm laying on my back. Brittany wrap an arm over my waist and scoots closer until she can rest her chin on my shoulder. I bring my right hand down to cover Brittany's over my stomach. I flip her hand over and intertwine our fingers together.

"I think spending time with you is my new favorite thing." Brittany confesses quietly.

"Yeah?" She nods. "Me too. Every time I get to see you that's the best part of my day or week or whatever. It's the best part. What was you favorite thing before we started- ya know?"

Brittany smirks cockily. "Hmm, probably watching Danny lay a verbal smackdown on some of his minions. Does that make me a bad person? That I looked forward for someone to get into trouble with Danny so he will yell at them."

"No. I think it's a unique situation and you needed something to look forward to. Some sort of excitement to keep the day entertaining. It's not your fault they got in trouble with Danny, they did that themselves. I don't know- it's a little strange, but it doesn't make you a bad person. You are the best person, Brittany. You're the most caring, kind person I know. Don't ever think that you are a bad person cuz you're not. Come here." I tug on her hand and Brittany moves closer to me. She hovers over me and I lean up off of the bed so that I can kiss her.

The thought of telling Brittany my true identity crosses my mind as we kiss. But as soon as it's there it gone because Brittany presses her body into mine so that she's basically laying on top of me. She deepens our kisses.

I wrap my arms around Brittany's back. One hand slides up into her hair. Brittany moans into the kiss. I make things a little more interesting by swiping my tongue over her lips. Brittany opens up wider and I stroke my tongue into her mouth. Brittany's hand starts to roam over my clothes. One of her hands cups my right breast over the fabric of my shirt. She massages as best as she can over my shirt. It's enough to have me moaning into her mouth. I feel her smirk into the next kiss. She definitely knows what she is doing. She knows she has this power over me and she can pretty much have me anyway she wants me.

That thought has me slowing the kisses before finally breaking from Brittany. She looks down at me with the most adorable perplexed face I've ever seen. I lean in and kiss the tip of her nose and let out a labored sigh.

"I don't want to get too carried away." I tell her.

"Why not?" She asks innocently.

The thing is a don't really have a good reason. I think it's mostly my dumb brain being stuck on the last time. Brittany said she loved me. That's huge for me and I need to figure out for certain how I feel about Brittany. I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutually, but there just something holding me back and I'm not sure what it is yet. I don't want to do anything with her until I know for sure. That and I still have this sense that Brittany deserves a better life.

So I ignore her question and ask her one of my own. "If you could have any job in the whole wide world what would it be?" I ask her as my fingers running through Brittany's blonde hair. We can just lay here and cuddle and talk.

"I don't know." Brittany closes her eyes and lays her head on my chest. "I've never really thought about it." Brittany's fingers draw little patterns into the material of my shirt that covers my stomach. It tickles a little, but it's also very calming and comforting.

"You should think about it." I encourage her.

"What would your dream job be?" Brittany asks quietly.

"Hmm. Probably something to do with helping people. Not like a doctor, but maybe a firemen or security guard or counselor or something like that." It's an easy answer for me. I'm not gonna come right out and tell Brittany that I am a detective but hinting at it. I've always loved my job and I've always wanted to help others.

"That sounds really awesome. I like that you want to help people. That's very cool of you."

"Yeah." I chuckle lightly. I want to ask Brittany so many questions. I want to know everything there is to know about her. I want to know her wishes and dreams. Most importantly, I want to know if when she said I love you she really meant it or if it was just in the heat of the moment.

"Can I ask you something?" I ask tentatively.

"Sure. Shoot." Brittany opens her eyes and looks up at me.

Her face is so innocent and so pure right now. She looks happy. She is happy. I bite my lip wondering if I should even ask.

"Eva, just ask me whatever it is you want to ask."

"Say like I got out of this _business_, and got out of here. Like hypothetically speaking." I say in a roundabout way hoping that Brittany will catch onto what I'm trying to say.

"What are you saying? What's your question?" Brittany sits up a little on her elbow so that she is looking over me.

"Brittany, what if I left? What if I got out of selling drugs? What if I got a real job?"

Brittany eyes narrow. "We wouldn't see each other anymore."

"Yeah, but what if I told you we could." I tell Brittany. Her face scrunches up in confusion. "If I left would you come with me?" I finally ask the question that I really wanted to ask.

"I don't-"

"Brittany, what would you do if I left?" I reiterate.

"I don't know, Eva." Brittany sits up fully now. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Brittany, you deserve better. You deserve a better life. All you do is sit in this stupid house and cook meals for Danny. That's all your life is. I want you to experience the world and all it has to offer. I want you to be able to do whatever your heart desires. What, I guess, I'm really asking is if you would come with me if I left?"

"You can't ask me that." Brittany says standing up from the bed. She crosses her arms over her chest and stands in a defensive stance. "It's my life and my decisions. You can't ask me that. That's not fair. I like my life."

"You don't." I blurt out.

"You don't know that. I like my life and you can't know if I do or don't." Brittany raises her voice with me. "Why are you bringing this up right now? What is this all about? What's going on, Eva?"

"Nothing. I just-" I shrug. I don't really have a good answer for her, at least, not one that isn't selfish and greedy. I want to help her realize that there is more to life than this fucking drug house. "-you said you loved me and I just- I wanted to know if you meant it, if this was real."

"What does that have to do with this?" Brittany quirks an eyebrow in my direction.

I look away from her with a shrug. "I'm not really sure. I thought that if you said yes to leaving with me then you really meant it."

"Well, guess what? I meant it." Brittany says sharply. "But, maybe it was a mistake to say it. I don't know what's happening here, but I'm not gonna run away with you on the spur of the moment because you want to get me out of this house or protect me or some shit like that. This is my home. I can't just leave."

Her words cut harsher than I ever thought was possible. Brittany's words are never harsh, but right now it's like she speaks in razorblades. "I know that." I shrink away from her on instinct. "I just thought- never mind. I'm sorry Brittany." I glance over at her.

Brittany face is all red, her jaw is clenched. If she was a cartoon character steam would be blowing out of her ears. She looks like she's about ready to burst. I never seen Brittany angry, but that must be what this is.

"Brittany, I'm sorry. I know this is your home and you live here and you love this place. I understand, believe me I do, you don't know anything else. The world can be a scary place and this is your safe place. But, I see things that you don't. This isn't the place that you should be."

"You can't tell me what to do. I'm an adult and I will do whatever I want." Brittany unfolds her arms from her chest and points her index finger to the bedroom door. "Right now I want you out of my room and out of this house."

"But-"

"Out. Now." She yells.

"Fine." I mumble uselessly. I keep one eye on Brittany as I climb off the bed. I didn't mean for all of this to happen. I didn't mean to upset her. I just wanted Brittany to see things differently. To see things the way I see them. I want so much for her, but maybe it's too much. Clearly my plan has backfired.

I walk across the room like a scolded dog with my tail between my legs. When I get to the door, I look over my shoulder back at Brittany. She's not paying me any attention. Her head is bowed to the floor. Her arms hanging limp at her side. Brittany looks lost and confused and I want to run over to her and wrap her up in my arms.

But, I don't. Instead, I decide to give Brittany some time to cool off and think. I exit her room with a sad smile on my face. I hate leaving her like this.

Why can't I do anything right? Instead of possibly finding a solution to my situation I have made it more difficult and more complicated.

I trudge down the stairs and into the kitchen. I'm set on just walking straight through and getting out of the house as soon as possible, but the scraping of chair legs against the floor gets my attention. I look over and see Danny standing from his spot at the table. Karofsky is still sitting down, he has a hand of cards in his right hand.

"Eva." Danny calls my name and I stop in my tracks. He comes over to me and puts his big hands on each of my shoulders and looks right at me. I want to look away but keep my eyes focused on him. "We are having our monthly meeting on Saturday night. I want you to be there. Everyone in the whole crew attends. I want you to come to your first meeting. After that you will be in attendance of all following monthly meetings. So, Saturday at seven. There will be beverages and cookies. Make sure to clear your schedule."

"Yes, sir." I tell him strongly.

"Good girl." He pats my cheek with his rough hand. "You can go now. See you Saturday."

"I'll be there." I don't know if I'm reassuring him or me.

Danny lets me go and I step passed him. I hurry to the kitchen door and push it open. I go through the meeting room and out into the garage. The big garage door is open so I walk out that way.

Everything snaps back into place when the brisk air hits my face and I know what needs to be done right now. The only things I'm thinking about are what Danny just told me and how I have to contact Puckerman as soon as possible.

* * *

**So the next chapter is done and ready to go. It's a short chapter and I haven't decided if I should put it up right away or wait a week. Let me know what you think of the story so far maybe that will influence my decision. Thanks you all the readers.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here ya go. You wanted it. This chapter is short but theres a reason for that. Hold on to your hats. This chapter picks up where the last one left off.**

**Warning: gun violence in this chapter. **

* * *

**Chapter 9**

It's late on a Thursday afternoon. The sun is shining. It's a cold early winter day. It hasn't snowed at all yet, but it's only a matter of time. The sidewalks are sparse. Not many people are walking about. The colder it gets, the less people venture outside. They only go out if necessary, to get from one place to another.

I'm walking with a hurried purpose to a payphone. I took a detour from my usual route from Danny's house to my apartment into a more heavily trafficked area where there are actually payphones. Some days it surprises me that there are still payphones on the New York City streets. With the invention of cell phones they have grown few and far between, but they are holding strong.

I spot a phone up the block and decide to make that my stop.

The call is different than all of the others. This call isn't about the information that Puck needs. This is about a time and a date. Simple as that.

"_Hello, Detective Puckerman speaking."_

"Hey, I've got it." I cut all forms of hellos or pleasantries.

"_Hold on." _He says. I hear some ruffling around of things, probably the papers and other accessories on his desk. _"Okay, I'm ready."_

"I have a time and date. Saturday night, two days from now, at seven pm. There's some big monthly group meeting happening. Everyone is suppose to be there. All the dealers and everybody. This is your big chance. This is it." I tell him with urgency. The thought lingers in my brain that this undercover operation is about to come to an end.

"_Wow. Okay, wow. Alright. Wow."_

"Stop saying wow."

"_Shut it. Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna get SWAT in on this. We will come up with a plan. Then on Saturday we will raid the building."_

"Sounds good. Just don't screw it up."

"_I won't, don't worry. This is the biggest case I've ever been on, there's no way in hell I'm fucking this up."_

"Well, I'll let you get at it. See ya on Saturday."

"_Bye." _Puck mumbles halfheartedly into the phone. He's probably already coming up with a plan for the raid.

I hang up the phone and check my surrounds quickly. The walk back to my shitty apartment is gonna be a long one.

Thoughts swirl in my head as I walk. Thoughts of the raid. Thoughts of the operation ending. But, mostly thoughts of Brittany.

When I left the house it wasn't on the best terms. I guess we just had our first fight. And possibly our last. That poor girl is upset now, but she doesn't know what's about to hit her in a few days. I feel worse now than I did when I left. Cuz when I left Brittany in her room it was because we were arguing and I needed some space, some time.

When Danny stopped me everything changed. As soon as the words left his mouth I knew that was it. I don't know what's going to happen on Saturday, but I know everything will be different after that. I didn't want to hurt Brittany, but that might happen. I just hope that when this is all said and done she doesn't hate me. And if she does I'll just have to live with that. Right now my job comes before anything else.

* * *

_Saturday_

I enter the meeting room and the place is filled. There are people in nearly every folding chair. At a guess, I would say there are probably fifteen to twenty people occupying the room. It's loud too with everyone talking.

I glance around the room quickly taking in the scene. Everyone ignores me and I take a seat in a vacant chair. I see Sugar across the room. She's talking to Rory. Good thing he came, that will make this easy for Puck. I see a few people that I've seen around here before. I spot Sam too. At the front of the room Karofsky stands guard, his hands folded in front of him. He is standing to the right of Danny's throne chair and the chairs on each side of that. My eyes shift to the left and that's when I spot her sitting in her chair.

My heart clenches when her eyes meet mine. She was watching me. Brittany doesn't look mad or upset like she was when I left her on Thursday. I haven't been back to the drug house since Danny informed me of the meeting. She actually smiles at me and gives me a little wave of her hand. I smile back instinctually. It's great to see her smiling again. Brittany should always smile that sunshine smile of hers. I'm relieved that our little fight the other day doesn't appear as if it has lingered.

In an attempt to not bring too much attention to myself and Brittany I look away after a few seconds. A few minutes pass and I look around the room at all the occupants. Danny steps into the room and it falls into silence. He walks across the front of the room with authority. When Danny sits in his throne chair Karofsky goes over and sits down in the remaining chair.

So, that's who sits in that chair. I've never seen anyone sitting in it.

Danny clears his throat before he speaks. "It's nice to see everyone here. New and old. Tonight, I would like to discuss a few things. But, first I'm going to introduce our newest member to her first meeting."

Oh shit.

"Everyone-" Danny turns in my direction and motions for me to stand up with his right hand. "-this is Eva, our newest dealer. Stand up, Eva."

Talk about drawing attention to myself. I spin around in a circle waving awkwardly at everyone in the room. When I take my seat again I duck my chin to my chest in embarrassment.

"Thank you." Danny says. "Now to our first piece of business. We've gotten on the wrong side of our rivals in the last month. It's my fault, I'm the one to blame. But, I want everyone to be extra vigilant. That means be careful, look over your shoulder, be aware of your surroundings. That sort of thing."

Danny's eyes slide around the room, eyeing people in the crowd. I look around quickly. Everyone seems to be listening to him intently. These people here respect Danny.

"Next, Karofsky here-" Danny thumbs over his left shoulder to his main muscle. "-will be handing out-" Danny stops at the sound of a loud bang. His eyes go wide and Danny looks around the room trying to locate the source of the noise.

There's a another loud bang that comes from the front of the house.

This is it.

Danny raises his right hand in the air to silence what very little noise there is in the room. He listens closer.

I look around the room and everyone is listening for the source of the two loud bangs. Most of them are on high alert.

There's a third loud bang against something hard. A crash and then what sounds like footsteps rushing over the floor. I sink lower in my seat. I know what's coming. My eyes venture to the front of the room. Karofsky pulls a gun from his waistband, from behind his back. Danny follows suit. They both have there guns pointed in the direction of where the noise is coming from.

I hear someone in the room cock another gun, ready for whatever might happen next. All eyes turn their attention to the secret door, including my own.

There's another loud bang at the same second the secret door flies open. Two men in SWAT gear storm into the room with their rifles raised.

"NYPD. Guns down." One of the men shouts.

Someone fires shots from the front of the room. I don't know if it's Danny or Karofsky, but when I turn to look, Danny is running for the door to the kitchen and is firing his weapon. I hit the floor as the bullets buzz over my head in the directions of the two SWAT officers.

Everyone around me has a similar reaction. To get low.

The SWAT team is returning gunfire. I can't see them, but I hear more boots run to the meeting room. It's absolute chaos. People are screaming. Gunfire is being exchanged by both sides.

I'm laying on the floor, flat on my stomach. I see Sugar laying on the floor too. She's facing me in the sense that I can see her face, but her eyes are pinched closed, her hands are covering her ears. From where I'm laying I can see the boots and legs of the SWAT team, but they are at the back of the room. I don't know what's happening at the front of the room.

There is screaming and shouting but the gunfire stops.

"They went out the back." One of the SWAT guys yells. The team fills the room.

I'm thinking they are gonna go after who went _out the back_, but none of the SWAT guys moves once they are inside the room.

"Put your weapon down." The same SWAT voice yells.

Someone still has a weapon. I pick my head up off the floor. I know they won't shoot me. I look around the room and see Rory. He's kneeling behind an overturned folding table. Stupid. A thin table isn't gonna stop a bullet if the police decide to shoot him.

Rory's gun points out in front of him as he ducks behind the table to cover his body from the SWAT guys. Of course he would be stupid enough to pull a gun on the NYPD SWAT.

"Lower your weapon." SWAT yells again. "Now."

I don't know what happens, but two quick shots are fired. Rory screams and falls to the floor.

"Clear." Someone else yells. The SWAT team storms through the room. I see one go over to where Rory is and point the end of his rifle against Rory's chest. The man in riot gear bends at the waist and picks up Rory's weapon that is laying on the floor.

The rest of the team runs through the room. I turn my head to see them running through the door into the kitchen. I don't see Karofsky or Danny where I last saw them by the door.

"Okay. Everybody stay down." That's Puck's voice. I snap my head in the direction that his voice came from. I see him entering the now secured room with Officer Hudson. My chin hit's the floor and I let out a relieved sigh.

I'm looking straight at Sugar when she opens her eyes. They are wide and scared. She looks like she's ready to run out of here. Every other situation I've been in with her she has run away from, so I wouldn't expect anything less now.

"Don't move." I whisper to her. "Okay?" I try to convince her with just my eyes that it's gonna be alright if she just stays where she is. Sugar's eyes calm slightly and she nods. I know she's not gonna move.

The room is mostly quiet except for the sounds of shoes hitting the floor as Puck walks around the room. There are also the groans and whines that come from Rory. I hear a few other painfully moans about the room. More high pitched than Rory, possibly a woman.

Were more people shot than just Rory?

I pick my chin up off the floor and search the room for Puck first. He's walking around looking at everyone. He walks over to Rory. There is a growing puddle of blood coming from the man. He's laying on the floor, sort of slumped over, sort of on his side. Rory is holding his left arm with his uninjured right one. It looks like he was shot in the left shoulder.

Puck scoffs at the man. "Suits you right." He grumbles and walks away from Rory. I watch him walk over to a woman and squat down next to her. Her face is calm, but Puck gives her attention. I look over her whole body looking for what Puck sees. Then I spot it. The woman's hand hangs limp next to her body, a gunshot wound through the hand. It's then that I realize the calmness from her face is because she's passed out.

I have to look away before I lose my dinner. But, what my eyes land on is far worse than that woman's hand.

As fast as I can I scramble to my hands and knees. My body kicks into overdrive.

"Stay down." It's Hudson's voice. I ignore him.

I get to my feet and scurry across the room. I have to dodge bodies and arms and legs as everybody lays on the floor. It seems to take forever to cross the room.

"We have three injured. We need at least two ambulances on the scene." Puck's voice. "Put a rush on those." He says with urgency.

"Brittany." I yell as I get closer to her.

"Get down." Hudson yells again. If this were different I would stop and give him a piece of my mind, but there's something more important right now.

She's slumped down in her seat. Her head hangs, her chin to her chest. The blood has soaked through her shirt at her chest. It's starting to soak into her jeans too.

"Brittany." I whisper as my knees hit the floor at her feet. I put my hands on her arms and shake her. "Brittany, talk to me. Brittany, please." She isn't breathing very well, but she's still breathing. Her breathes are choppy and shallow. Coming and then going before coming again in an unsteady pattern.

"Eva?"

I look up to her face. She tries to open her eyes, but they don't open any more then just little slits. I can't even see the color of her eyes just the whites.

"Yeah, it's me, Britt. I'm right here." I tell her.

"O-" She breathes out. "-kay." Another struggled breath. I can barely hear her words at all, they're so weak.

I feel a presence behind me and look over my shoulder to see Puck standing there with the most confused expression on his face.

"Don't just stand there. We need an ambulance." I yell at him. I vaguely hear the panic in my own voice.

Puck rubs his hand over the back of his neck. "One is on the way. There's nothing more I can do."

I hear something and turn away from Puck. Brittany's mouth is hanging open. She's trying to tell me something. Or she already did, but I didn't catch it.

"What's that, Britt?" I ask and lean closer to her. My stomach presses into her legs. I lean in and put my ear next to her mouth.

"I'm-" She struggles. "-gonna-" Another weak breath. "-see-" She breathes in and I can hear the gurgling. "-my-" Her eyes are closed. "-parents." She breathes out on one more ragged breath. Her mouth hangs open. Her head rolls to the side.

"NO." I yell. I throw myself into her. My hands wrap around her arms, clutching onto the material of her sweatshirt. I don't really care about all the blood on her. I rest my head on her legs by her knees. The tears slide down my face.

I hear Puck say something to me, but I can't hear what his words are. I can't hear anything clearly. My fingers grab at her forearms. "No." I cry out. Someone puts a hand on my shoulder, but doesn't try to pull me off of her.

I don't now how much time passes, but I stay like that. With her. I start to hear sirens at what feels like an eternity later. Then comes the shuffling of feet somewhere in the room behind me.

"Back here." Puck's voice again.

The hand lifts off of my shoulder. I sob harder into the material of her jeans. Hands wrap around my waist and start to pull me away. "No." I yell. I can't leave her. Not yet.

"The paramedics are here. Let them work." The arms wrap around my stomach and hold me tighter the farther I'm pulled back. I kick and flail trying to get released from the grip.

For the first time in minutes I see her at a distance. Not much has changed. She sits there, slumped over, her head hanging off to the side, her eyes closed, mouth hanging open, blood covering the whole front of her shirt.

The paramedics rush in and one checks for a pulse.

"She has a pulse, but it's weak." One says.

Everything stops.

"What?" Did I say that? The arms release their hold on me as the fighting of my body stops.

"Clear the way. Get the stretcher in here." The paramedic shouts. The stretcher is wheeled in as the paramedics hook her up to a monitor. I watch as they put her limp body on the flat surface and wheel her out of the room.

I take a step forward after them. Something stops me in my tracks. A hand around my wrist. I turn to the hand's owner. Puck.

"I have to go with her." I plead. He's gotta know that. Puck has to let me go with her.

"No, actually. You are under arrest." He says to me. My eyes go wide and I try to run after the stretcher, but he holds me tight. "You are all in police custody. Everyone in this room. After the paramedics are done attending to the injured."

I try to run after the disappearing stretcher, but Puck holds onto my wrist tighter, keeping me in place. "Let me go you fucker." I yell at Puck. I don't care. I need to go with her.


	10. Chapter 10

**The last chapter concludes the first part of this story. I must say that I had that planned from the beginning. It threw some of you for a loop but what's a good story without a few twists and turns and unexpected events. **

**This chapter continues where the last left off. Brittana is endgame.**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"_I have to go with her." I plead. He's gotta know that. Puck has to let me go with her._

"_No, actually. You are under arrest." He says to me. My eyes go wide and I try to run after the stretcher, but he holds me tight. "You are all in police custody. Everyone in this room. After the paramedics are done attending to the injured."_

_I try to run after the disappearing stretcher, but Puck holds onto my wrist tighter, keeping me in place. "Let me go you fucker." I yell at Puck. I don't care. I need to go with her._

* * *

Puck narrows his eyes at me. Unspoken words pass through them. He's telling me to behave. He's telling me that I have to remember where I am and who I am. He's telling me that he's just doing his job and I have to do mine. I relax in his hold once I realize this. I can't blow my cover. The police would never let a suspect go to the hospital with another suspect. And as I am just another suspect, in the eyes of everyone in the room, I will be treated like one. Puck takes out a pair of handcuff and latches them on my wrists and I face the reality of the situation. He's gonna have to treat me like one of Danny's crew, so that our cover isn't blown yet. Everyone in the room will get the same treatment, that includes me.

"Sit here and don't move." He growls at me. I don't know if it's part of the act or not. Puck plops me down in one of the folding chairs. I hang my head and try and let my senses come back to me. I play what just happened in my head over and over again.

All my mind keeps coming back to, though, is her. And if she's gonna survive.

Once the paramedics have taken out Rory, and that woman with the gunshot wound to the hand, things start to happen again. At some point someone, probably Puck, lets everyone in the room sit up, but they all have to sit on the floor with their ankles crossed.

At some point my tears stopped. I don't know when, but now my eyes itch and I can't even rub them because my hands are cuffed behind my back.

"Hudson, go with the ambulance to the hospital. Place them under arrest once they are finished being treated. If they need to stay there, let me know, and I will get some officers down there." Puck tells the man as the paramedics walk Rory out of the room. They took the unconscious woman out an the stretcher a minute or two before.

"The rest of you." Puck address the whole room now. "You will all be loaded into the police wagons and taken down to the station for questioning."

The room explodes into a chorus of dissatisfied grumbles and groans.

Puck's radio chirps and then a rough scratchy sounding voice comes across. "We got 'em." Puck raises his closed fist into the air. Some things never change. You can't take the fist pump from Puck if you tried.

"Alright. Way to go guys." He returns over the radio.

I should be happy, proud, excited, satisfied, but all I really care about right now is her. Her status. I should be happy that the undercover investigation is over and that we got Danny and Rory, our two main suspects. I should be proud that my hard work helped catch the guys. I should be excited to go back to my regular life. I should be satisfied with everything that has transpired. But, I'm not any of those things. Instead, I feel empty and my heart hurts.

An officer, that I don't recognize, brings a bag of heavy duty zip ties to Puck. They each take some and start cuffing peoples hands behind their backs.

When almost everyone is in cuffs two SWAT officers bring in Karofsky and Danny in handcuffs. The real ones, not zip tie handcuffs. They come into the meeting room from the kitchen. Karofsky has blood and dirt on his face. He must have put up a fight. Danny looks cool as a cucumber. There's not a scratch on him. His clothes are clean too. Karofsky keeps his head down as they lead him through the room and out the secret door. Danny, though, holds his head up high, like he's proud of what he's done. I see him shift his eyes around the room as he is passed through, taking in the situation.

Bastard.

"They were hiding in a shed out back." One of the officers tells Puck.

Puck nods. "Okay. Put them in separate squad cars."

Once everyone is cuffed the officers start bring the occupants of the room out of the house one by one. Puck comes over to me. "Let's go." He says. I stand and Puck grabs a hold of the handcuff on my hands. He leads me out of the building to one of the two police wagons that are sitting on the street. I hang my head and try not to look at anyone as we pass.

Puck puts me in a van with five others from the drug house. I sit there and wait for this to all be over. I look down at my shoes and try to keep my mind from running away with itself. It's not easy.

Sugar is placed into the wagon next to me. It's a small relief. That is until she speaks. "I'm sorry about Brittany." She says somberly when the officers close the door to the wagon, locking us inside.

There goes that runaway mind. I nod, but don't say anything in return. I don't think I could if I tried.

The ride to the police station isn't long, but is filled with silence. My mind is filled with thoughts of her during the ride. Emotions and regrets rise to the surface. What if I did things differently? What if I told her who I really was? I could have left out the detective part and told her my real name, real identity. She wouldn't tell Danny or anyone. I'm starting to have serious regrets about this whole thing. I wish I would have never gone undercover.

The police wagon comes to it's final stop. The back doors fly open and an officer is standing there. All eyes in the wagon are on him. "Let's go. Out." He commands. The person closest to the door stands up and steps out of the wagon. Everyone exits one by one, we are gathered up, and trotted into the police station in a single file line.

I look around once inside. Not much seems to have changed in my absence. I try not to look too obvious. If a few of the detectives and officers are looking at me I don't acknowledge them. I look to the back of the person's head in front of me as we are lead to the holding cages.

There are two large holding cages and then two smaller 'singular' holding cells at the back of the precinct. We walk past the two holding cells that are now occupied with two men. Danny in one and Karofsky in the other. An officer stands in front of each of their cells. The group that I came in with is put in one holding cage and the other group from the other police wagon goes into the other cage.

As I sit on my hard slab of concrete I watch as Puck comes in and retrieves each person from the group one at a time to bring them in to the interrogation room to be questioned. They don't return once they leave. That means one of two things. They have been arrested for their part in Danny's business or have been released back into the public.

Hours pass and the numbers dwindle down until it's only me left in the holding cage and Danny and Karofsky in their cells. I know that's how Puck would have done it. To gather as much information from the dealers and lesser people in Danny's ring as more ammunition against him before talking with Danny. I also knew he would _question _me towards the end. I know I will be next to be brought in and _interrogated_.

I have been trying to prepare myself to talk with Puck, but my mind keeps traveling back to her. My left leg bounces anxiously as I wait.

"Hey." A male voice thunders out. I snap my head up from looking at the disgusting, dirty floor. "Your turn." The officer beckons for me. I stand up and go over to the cage door. He unlocks the steel bars. "No funny business." He threatens.

I know who this officer is. Officer Thompson. He's in charge of this sort of thing, handling suspects. He's a nice guy, but you wouldn't know it from the way he handles suspects.

I don't say anything to him as Thompson takes me by the arm and leads me into the interrogation room just like he did with all the other suspects.

We enter the interrogation room. Thompson shuts the door. "It's nice to see you again, Santana." Dropping the act.

I turn to him, slowly, blinking a few times as the words sink in. That's the first time someone has used my name in months. "Yeah. Nice to see you." The words sound foreign coming out of my mouth.

"Puckerman will be in in a few minutes. He went for a pee break and a coffee. Long day 'n' all." Officer Thompson nods to me, then heads out of the room. I go over to one of the two chairs in the room and take a seat at the table.

It's several minutes before Puck comes in. When he does, he looks exhausted. His coffee steams as he sets it down on the table. He also sets a file down on the table that was under his arm. "How are you doing?" Puck asks as he sits across from me.

"I've been better." I shrug. I don't feel particularly good right now. I know I should feel better about the case moving forward and Danny being in custody, but I can't.

Puck nods absentmindedly. "Sorry for making you wait."

"I understand." A deflated sigh escapes from me.

"Alright, well, I'll fill you in on what's happened so far. We brought everyone that was in that house in for questioning. The forensics team is in there now. They gave me a call not too long ago and told me that they found a closet full of guns and that they found where Danny was hiding his drugs stash. After I am done talking with you I'm gonna question David Karofsky and then Danny. I got some information out of the people I questioned so far. We released most of them after questioning. The goal here isn't to prosecute a dozen drug dealers. We are after Danny number one and Rory number two."

"Uh-huh."

"Are you even listening?" Puck asks.

I flick my eyes to meet his. "Yeah. Go on."

"We did hold a few people though. Your friend Sugar, last name Motta. And someone named Samuel Evans. Those two seemed to be among Danny's best dealers. I don't know if we will charge them or not, but I want to hold them for more questioning. It might be nothing or they might have some vital information about Danny or something involving him."

I vaguely register that Puck has stopped talking but not much else.

"Santana?"

"W-what?" I ask, trying to focus my eyes on him.

"Is something wrong? You look a little- uh- off." Puck asks.

I shake my head. "No. Nothing's wrong. Continue."

"Okay, I have officers on guard at the hospital outside our suspect's rooms until I can question them. There are three at the hospital, I believe."

I lean forward in my seat when Puck mentions the hospital. "Do you know their conditions?" I ask.

"No, I don't. But, after I am through questioning David Karofsky and Danny I plan on going down to the hospital. I hope to question the suspects if they are healthy enough for it." He explains.

I slump back in my seat. "Oh."

"Santana, I'm gonna be really straight forward here. Is there something I should know about?"

I narrow my eyes at him.

"Perhaps about you and that woman that was shot in the chest?" His eyes hold no malice. I can see that he just wants to understand. Obviously, he saw what happened at Danny's house.

I can't lie to him. I've been doing too much of that lately. I lock eyes with him and try to tell him without words. I nod my head to answer his question.

"You know it's inappropriate to get involved with someone you are investigating during an undercover operation?" He questions with a quirked eyebrow.

"I know." I duck my head.

"Okay. So, what are you going to do now?"

I shrug. "Can I come to the hospital with you?" I ask earnestly. I know it's not the answer to the question he's asking. The only thing I want to do right now is find out what her condition is, if she survived the gunshot wound to the chest.

"I don't know Santana. How's that gonna work? I don't want you walking in there as yourself." Puck looks uncomfortable with the idea of me going to the hospital with him.

"I can stay undercover. I will behave. No one will even know that I'm there. I'll be there as your prisoner." I plead. "You can tell people whatever you want. Tell them that you needed me with you during the questioning of the other suspects. I don't care. Do whatever. Just, please, can I come to the hospital with you?" I nearly beg him.

Puck sighs. "Fine. But, I probably won't be going for several hours yet. You will go downstairs and sleep while I question Karofsky and Danny. I don't want you around while I'm questioning either of them just yet. We are going to maintain your undercover for a while longer. I haven't decided how long yet. I want to get all the information that I can first and then I will bring you in and you can reveal yourself."

"Thompson." Puck yells. The door swings open and Officer Thompson steps into the room. "Escort Santana downstairs. She is going to sleep in the barracks while I question my final suspects."

"Yes, sir." Thompson nods.

"I don't want anyone possibly seeing you just walking around the station. When I say anyone I mean Danny or David Karofsky. They need to think you are Eva still. That means you stay downstairs."

"Got it." I grumble.

"Make it look real you two." Puck tells us as we walk out the door.

Thompson grabs a rough grip on my arm. He's definitely 'making it real'. I stumble as he pushes me through the door. He leads me through the precinct and I hang me head as we walk. At the stairs, out of the view of people, Thompson lets go I my arm and I walk downstairs under my own power.

"Do you need anything?" Thompson asks kindly.

I spin around to face the man. I try to smile, but I don't know if it looks like a smile. "No, I'm good. Thanks."

"Alright. I see ya then." With that he turns around and heads back up the steps.

I search out my cot. It's not much, but it's a mattress and a blanket and pillow. It's better than sleeping in a jail cell. I sit down and kick off my sneakers. Underneath the blanket, I lay on my back and stare up at the ceiling. I am somewhat tired, but can't sleep. I switch to my side to see if that helps. Many minutes pass and I switch sides so that I am facing the cement wall. Sleep won't come.

* * *

"Hey. Santana."

I scrunch up my face.

"Santana. Wake up." Puck's voice drifts into my ears. I open my eyes and he's standing above me, holding something in his hands. When did I fall asleep and what time is it now? "I'm ready to go to the hospital."

That wakes me up. I sit up and rub at my eyes with my fists. "What time is it?" It's always dark in the basement barracks, there's no sense of what time of day it is.

"Just after six." Puck reads from his wristwatch. I narrow my eyes at him. "In the morning." He adds. He holds out the object in his hands. My leather jacket. I take it from him in one aggressive pull and throw it on. I shrug and stuff my feet into my shoes before standing. "Ready?" He asks when I'm standing.

"Uh, yeah."

Puck's eyes roam over me for a few seconds before he seems to move on. He turns and starts walking. I follow him up the stairs, to the main floor, then outside. We walk over to his car and get in. Puck starts the car, the radio is blaring, he quickly turns it off.

It's starting to get light outside. The start of a new day. Yesterday is gone and today is new. It doesn't feel new though. It feels old. Today feels like yesterday. It feels like one giant, long day.

Puck drives the city blocks over to the hospital were the 'suspects' are staying at. My left leg bounces nervously in my seat. My fingers fiddling with the bottom edge of my leather jacket. Once again, during this operation, I am wearing clothes from the day before. I don't remember what happened to it, but when Puck handed me my leather jacket I didn't question him. I zipped it up tight, all the way to the top, to cover my shirt. My shirt that has splotches of her blood on it.

I don't remember much about arriving at the station yesterday, but I must have washed up in the little sink in the cage because there isn't any blood on my hands or arms. I don't remember when they took the cuffs off, either. I don't remember if anyone said anything to me. I don't remember much of anything. I don't remember going to sleep. I don't have any idea how much sleep I got. Probably not a lot. Maybe it's a good thing that I blocked out a lot of things in recent hours.

His hand on my knees startles me and I jump in my seat. Puck tries to still my bouncing leg. _Tries_ being the key word. I just switch legs so that my right leg is bouncing anxiously instead of the left. Harder for him to reach.

"You're really worked up."

My eyes shift from his hand to out the passengers side window. I watch as the city goes by, I sit and wait. Waiting for too many things to count.

* * *

My feet are on the ground before Puck even shifts the car into park. They carry me into the hospital at a steady pace. I can hear Puck yelling behind me to stop and wait for him, but ignore his calls. I get inside and look around quickly. The reception desk is on the other side of a big waiting area. I walk over with purpose to my steps.

"How can I help you?" The nurse asks.

I'm about to ask him which room she is in when a big hand lands on my shoulder. It silences me, preventing the words I want to say from escaping my lips.

He talks instead. "Hi, I'm detective Noah Puckerman." Puck flashes his badge at the nurse or receptionist or whatever his job title is. The man is dressed in nurse scrubs, so I assume a nurse. "There are three patients here that are in police custody. Could you tell me which rooms they are in?"

"Yes." The nurse nods. "Just give me a few minutes. It's flagged here on the computer, I just have to look it up." The man hit's a bunch of keys on the keyboard, squints at the screen, writes some stuff on a post-it note, then looks away from the computer, back to Puck. The man completely ignores me. Puck still has his grubby hand on my shoulder. I try to shrug it off multiply times, but it's seems stuck.

"It looks like we have placed two of them in rooms next to each other. A man who told us his name was Rory. He had surgery to remove a bullet from his shoulder and is now is stable condition. You can talk to him. A woman by the name of Georgia is in the room next door to his. She also went to surgery and is now out. She is also in stable condition, but I don't think she's awake yet. They are in rooms 302 and 303. That's on the third floor. There is an officer guarding each of their rooms, but I'm sure you knew that." The nurse holds the post-it in front of him as he relays the information.

Puck nods. "I did. Thanks." He looks over to me with weary eyes.

"Oh god." My stomach turns.

"What about the third suspect?" Puck asks the nurse.

"Ah, yes." The nurse looks back to the computer and starts typing again. "It says here that the third, a woman, was in surgery all night." The nurse looks back to Puck. "I heard there where some complications."

Oh god. My fingers have a death grip on the counter of the reception desk. I don't like the way this guy is talking.

"But-" The nurse glances back at the computer screen. "-it looks like she pulled through. She is in critical condition in the ICU. She is unconscious, though, so you won't be able to speak with her anytime soon. There is an officer stationed at her door for precautionary reasons, I suppose. It's room 506, just so you know."

"Okay-" Puck says.

I take a deep breath, steal myself, and take off in a sprint down the hall. I get to the elevator and push the up arrow with my thumb. The doors don't open right away so I keep pushing the button.

"Hey, wait." Puck's voice yells down the hallway. At least, the idiot didn't use my name or even my undercover name. I can hear his feet hitting the tile floor as he approaches.

The doors open. I step inside and hit the number five. I see Puck walking hurriedly towards the elevator. He doesn't run though. I push the close door button over and over. I need to get away from him. He can't be in the elevator with me. The doors start to slowly close. Puck starts to pick up his pace, more of a jog than a walk. A small smirk comes to my lips as the doors slip shut and Puck disappears.

The ride to the fifth floor is longer than I want it to be. The elevator stops and the doors slowly open. I step out, look left and then right. There's a nurses station right there in front of me with two female nurses behind the desk.

"Can I help you?" One of them asks.

I narrow my eyes, but shake my head. I turn to look at the wall next to the elevator for directions. I can't tell them where it is that I want to go. The arrows on the wall indicate the direction that the rooms are. Right. I look to my right. About halfway down the hall I see someone standing in the hallway. He's the only person in the hall. I start walking, but everything seems hazy. I can see someone standing there in a uniform, but can't focus on their features. My eyes shift from the figure to the numbers next to the room doors. I'm a few feet away when it finally registers.

"Hudson?" That's who's standing guard at the door.

"What are you doing here?" I hear the words that he says.

I stop in front of room 506. At the window. My eyes shift around the ICU room before they focus on the body in the bed. I put a hand to the glass and look in.

She lays there in the bed. Tubes and wires from machines hooked up to her body. A ventilator breathing for her. A pale face and matted blonde hair are all that are visible. The rest of her body is covered by blankets.

She's alive.

My knees hit the floor. The tears start flowing. I bring my hands to my face.

Footstep and then a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" Finn asks in a quiet whisper.

I sob harder into my hands. Does it really look like I'm okay? I'm far from okay. This is my fault. I could have prevented this. I could have done things differently. I don't know how, but I could have gotten her out of there. Out of danger. She's clinging onto life because of me. Because of this stupid investigation.

"Uh- um- it's okay. You're gonna be okay." Finn tries to tell me.

My body shakes harder. My tears spill out of my eyes at an embarrassing rate.

She's alive.

I hear more footsteps and more words, but they aren't spoken towards me. It sounds like a female voice talking to Officer Hudson. "Is she okay? Is she a family member?"

"She'll be fine." Finn tells the woman. "I can handle it. You can go back to your station ma'am."

The footsteps walk away. A body is on the floor next to me. I glance up to see Finn sitting there with his back to the wall. He tries to give me a sympathetic smile, but it looks more like an uncomfortable grimace. I duck my head again. The tears are still falling. A hand starts rubbing up and down my arm where it wraps around my legs. Somehow, I've come to sitting on my ass.

Puck shows up some time later. I've stopped crying. With a hand from Officer Hudson I was able to stand again, but on shaky legs. My fingers grip the windowsill as I look into the room again.

I hear his boots first. Then his voice as he talks to Finn. He talks in hushed tones. I glance over at the two of them briefly. I didn't realize how close Puck was. He looking into the room with his brow pinched together. I look back into the room after a couple seconds of eyeing him.

When Puck finishes talking to Finn, he comes over next to me and stands at my right side. His hand on the small of my back makes me flinch and look over at him. He's staring at the sight inside the room.

"We should go." He says after a few seconds.

I want to argue. I narrow my eyes at him. Puck finally looks to me and wrinkles up his brow. I tell him that I don't want to leave through my eyes and a single shake of my head. He stares me down, raises an eyebrow. A challenge. I back down.

I have to look away from him. I look over his shoulder at Officer Hudson. I don't like the idea, but I agree with a nod of my head. Puck steps away from the window. I linger for a few seconds longer before turning away with a sigh and following Puck out. My eyes connect with the floor and the heels of Pucks boots as I walk behind him.

We make it out to the car and get inside. "What do you want to do now?" He asks from the driver's seat.

I shrug. I don't know what I want to do now. I want to go back in time before all of this happened. I want to tell her the things I should have. I want to prevent her from getting shot. I want to go back and stop the raid. Right now, though, I don't want to do anything. I don't want to work or think. There's only one thing I _really_ want to do. That's be on floor five of the hospital, holding vigil outside her room.

"It's almost nine. You should get some rest. I'll drive you home." Puck speaks when I don't give him an answer.

I snap my head so fast over to him I hear something pop in my neck. "No."

"No?" Puck asks. He looks completely confused.

"I haven't been there for so long. Plus, I don't think I could _rest._ Either take me to my undercover apartment or back to the police station." I tell him sternly.

His face screw up even further. Worry. That's the look he has. "I don't want you at the station cuz I know you will try to do something. Work. Or whatever. And I don't want you staying at that apartment any longer."

"I'm still technically undercover, aren't I?" I point a finger in his face. Puck nods and gulps. "It's that apartment or nothing." I threaten. "Look-" I soften a little. I have to reason with him so he sees it my way. "-I have to reconnect with my old life again. I can't do that today. It's not gonna happen over night. I wasn't undercover for a week. It was months. I can't start right now anyway. I need time yet. I need to figure out what's going to happen. So for now I'm still Eva Garcia. Okay?"

Puck grumbles. "Okay." He begrudgingly agrees.

He starts the car and begins driving to the apartment. "I don't want to see you for the rest of the day. Don't come back to the station until at least tomorrow. We have moved all our suspects to the jail this morning so no one will see you there." He pulls up outside my undercover apartment.

I open the door. "Okay." I slide out of the car and slam the door shut.

"San-" I spin around so fast I get dizzy. Puck hangs over the passengers seat. The passengers window is down. By the grimace on his face I can see that Puck realizes his error. "Eva, are you gonna be okay?"

I narrow my eyes at him. "I'm fine." I growl. "Get the fuck outta here." I yell as I turn away from him and stomp over the brown winter grass. I get to the door and Puck hasn't driven away yet. I look over my shoulder and glare at him. I see him shake has head, but relents. He puts the car into gear and finally drives off.

He's not my most favorite person right now.

* * *

I trudge up the stairs to my studio apartment. I unlock the door, go inside, and go straight to the fridge. I open it up and get a beer out of the fridge. The cap pops off in my hand and I tip the bottle to my lips. I take a long drink before I lower the bottle. I look around the room. It's mostly empty. It's like no one lives here. It's a place to live. It was a place to eat, to sleep, to bide time but, it's not home.

I take my beer and go sit on the bed. I take another long drink, then slowly start taking off my shoes. It should be an easy task, but for whatever reason it's nearly impossible. I get the left one off, but the right shoelace gets a knot in it. Without undoing the knot I wrench the shoe from my heel. It hurts my ankle but whatever. I take the leather jacket off and throw it at the foot of the bed. When I look down I see the blood again. My shirt from yesterday, still covered in her blood.

With a dejected sigh, I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees. My hands come up to cover my face. I take in big deep breathes to try and prevent the tears from coming. After a few minutes like that I can stand again. I grab my bottle and drink the rest of it in one gulp.

I move to the kitchen and set the empty bottle on the countertop. I need to get out of these clothes. I need to get out of the smell from the last day. The bathroom is my next destination. I crank the knob that turns the shower on so it's on it's hottest setting. The clothes fly off of my body next. The shirt lands on the floor first. I cover it up with my jeans and undergarments. I don't want to see the evidence of what happened on that shirt any longer.

I step into the scalding hot water of the shower. The water stings and turns my skin red, but I could care less. I just want to drown everything out right now.

* * *

The next day when I wake up I feel like complete shit. I didn't get any real sleep. I tossed and turned the whole night. And when I did sleep, I always awoke from a nightmare. All of them involving the day before.

I get dressed and head down to the police station. It's not a route I've taken before. I've never gone from the undercover apartment to the police station or vice versa. I actually take the subway for a few stops cuz it's that far away.

I don't even know what I'm doing here. I won't to able to focus on any work, I know that for a fact. My head is all over the place. One second I'm think one thing and the next it's something else entirely.

Not to mention I feel like I got hit by a train. I didn't bother to look in a mirror this morning. I know I look like shit. That's fine. My black eye has faded considerable, but there's a faint hint of it. There are probably dark circles under my eyes. I didn't shower this morning, I scalded myself enough yesterday, so my hair is probably all frizzy. But, I don't care. I can't really find myself caring about anything right now. Not even the case.

My feet drag up the steps into the precinct. People looks at me, as I pass them, judging everything about my appearance today. I didn't bother to put proper pants, either. I have my grey sweatpants, that I wear to sleep in, on. My leather jacket covers a fresh t-shirt that I changed into this morning.

I duck my head to look at the floor to get away from their stares. I have only one destination in mind. He's not even gonna see me coming. My feet hit the floor with purpose as I approach Puckerman's desk in the middle of the precinct.

"Oh, hey, Santana." He must have seen me coming. I meet his eyes and storm up to his desk. "What's up?" He has some nerve. He's about to find out what's up.

"What's up?" I ask with a raised eyebrow and my hands on my hips. "You wanna know what's up? I'll tell you what the fuck is up. You're a little fucker, that's what's up. You and you're fucking SWAT team. Marching all over the place like you own the world."

The confused look in his eyes is totally worth it. I can feel the others in the office watching our little conversation, but I could care less.

"This is your fuckin' fault. How can you just go into a raid guns blazing? Shooting up the place as if it's a war zone." I step around his desk and stand over him as he sits in his chair. I want him to hear every single word that comes from my lips. "There were innocent people in that house. Did you care about that? No."

"Santana, what is-"

"No. Shut the fuck up." I yell in his face. "Listen to me. I don't care what you think you did. Or if it was right or wrong. There should have been a better way. You could have thought of a better way. Instead your storm troopers run in and started shooting up the place. This is your fault." My fist connects with his chest. "This is all your fault. I started blaming myself, but it's not on me, this is on you. You did this. It's your fault she got shot. It's your fault she's clinging to life in a hospital bed. You fucker." I pound my fist against his chest.

"Santana. Stop." Puck stands.

I keep going though. My fists connect with his muscular chest. "It's all your fault." I sob. The tears start falling once again.

Puck wraps his strong arms around me and pulls me into his chest. "She didn't deserve this." I cry into his shirt.

"Okay, let's go downstairs and calm down." Puck's feet start moving and he drags me along in his arms. When we reach the stairs he literally picks me up and carries me down the stairs. I wrap my arms around his neck and rub my face against his shoulder.

My back hit the softness of a mattress. The cot dips by my feet. I peek one eye open to see Puck sitting there. "Just take a few minutes to calm down. I'm not going anywhere." He pats my ankle gently.

I rub at my eyes with my hands, both to try and clear my tears and so that I don't have to look at Puck. Minutes pass and the tears slowly subside. Instead of a torrent, it's more of a drizzle.

"What's wrong?" Puck finally asks, breaking our silence. I open my eyes to peer over at him. He's waiting for a response. I can't find the words so I shake my head. "Well, why did you come storming in here like a mad lady and start wailing on me?"

"I'm sorry, Puck." I cover my face with my hand. I can't even look at him. He keeps rubbing his hand over my ankle. I can't tell if it's helping or just distracting. "I was mad. I _am_ mad. I'm upset. Angry. Frustrated. Worried. Anxious. I think I've gone through every emotion possible in the last couple of days."

"Why? Just from what's happened since the raid? You've seen raids before. You've been in raids before. That shouldn't bother you." Puck says gently.

"No. You idiot." I sit up on the cot. The anger bubbling to the surface again. "It's the bullets and who they hit."

"This is about that girl in the hospital?" Puck asks.

I duck my head, but nod. "Yeah. Brittany. I'm worried about her."

"Hmm. I figured it had something to do with her. I knew there was something going on there just from the way you reacted, during the raid, when she got shot. Do you, like, have feelings for her? Do you love this chick?" Puck ask bluntly.

I can't look at him. I nod. "Yeah." With one word I may have just sealed my fate.

"I see. I can't say that the situation you have yourself in is a professional one. It's against protocol. I know going undercover things get difficult and complicated. And sometimes you can't help what happens or who you might get attached to and possibly develop feelings for. You want my advice?" He has a serious look on this face when I look up at him.

"It can't hurt." I shrug. He's probably gonna tell me even if I say no. He's been my friend for many years now. I trust him and appreciate his advice. Puck knows that. That's why he's gonna tell me what he thinks, no matter what. He's a good guy. I just don't really want to hear it right now. Nothing feels right today.

"Go to the hospital. Visit her."

"I don't know if I can do that." I avoid Puck's eyes again.

"Why not?" He asks earnestly.

I start picking at the bottom of my jacket. "I think I was in shock yesterday when we were there. Now that I've been there, I don't know if I can go back. It's too painful."

"Well, you'll never know unless you try. I think it will do you some good. You obviously have a strong connection with this girl. She means a lot to you. I'm sure she could use another visitor."

I doubt Brittany's had any visitors. The only people she knows are all locked up. Her parents are dead. She doesn't have any other family. I would seriously be shocked if someone went to visit her.

"What if they won't let me see her? I'm not family."

"You'll figure it out." Puck pats my knee.

"What if someone spots me?"

"Santana, stop making excuses. You can be Eva if anyone spots you, but I don't think you will have any problems. If anyone asks just tell them you are visiting a friend. Santana, you need to do this." Puck finishes with insistency.

"But the last time I was with her we got into a fight." I hang my head at the confession. I regret it so much. There's nothing I can do about it now. I wish I could go back before our fight and make sure that it didn't happen.

"Then don't let that be the last thing you shared together." Puck says solemnly.

* * *

Puck got me a ride down to the hospital with one of the officers. I grumbled at him the whole time that I was at the station. I had to wait about a half an hour for the officer. For the most part Puck ignored me. I sat at my desk and watched everyone else move about their day.

The precinct doesn't stop without me, that's very apparent. It's like they don't even need me anymore.

I have no idea who the officer is that is driving me to the hospital. That's fine with me. I don't wanna know. I have been looking out the window for the whole ride. My chauffeur turned the radio in the car on at one point, but I reached over and turned it off right away. We have been riding in silence ever since.

I'm relieved when we pull into the parking lot at the hospital. I hop out as soon as the car comes to a stop. Luckily, my buddy doesn't put up any protests. I stare up at the giant of a building. It's an important place, a place of healing and recovery, yet somewhere inside is a person that is more important than that. I walk into the hospital as calmly as my body will allow me, which isn't very calm at all. I feel like I'm gonna have a panic attack.

I don't bother stopping at the reception desk. It's the same guy that was sitting there yesterday. If he sees me he doesn't say anything. I doubt he knows who I am. Probably thinks I'm associated with Puck. And I am, but I'm not here on police business. The guy behind the desk doesn't need to know that though.

I make my way to the end of the hall, hit the up arrow for the elevator, and wait. It takes a few seconds, but the doors open and I hop in. Like yesterday, I hit the five on the board of numbers.

I lean back against the wall as the elevator ascends. I'm exhausted. I rub my hand over my face. I can feel a headache coming on, but can't do anything about it. I always get headaches when I don't get enough sleep. And I sure haven't had enough sleep in the past two days.

The elevator dings and the doors open. The nurses at the nurses station eye me like fresh meat. Except, I'm not fresh. I was here yesterday. I couldn't tell you if the two nurses that are sitting behind the desk are the same ones from yesterday or not. It doesn't matter. I try and give them my most charming smile as I step out of the elevator. I turn in the direction of Brittany's room without a second glance at the nurses. If I look like I know where I'm going they won't ask me any questions or hold me back.

I start down the hall, but don't get halfway down before the officer at the door turns to see who it is that's coming. He watches as I approach the room. But, my approach slows. My feet feel heavier and heavier with every step I take. Almost like I have cement bricks for shoes. I look down at them. They are just feet covered with the same pair of sneakers that I've worn everyday for the last couple of months. The closer I get to Brittany's room, the harder it is to breathe, too. I'm taking shallow little breaths by the time I get to the window. My vision blurs as I look inside the room. I look but don't see anything. I look but can't see the bed or the person laying in it.

"Are you here for a visit?" His voice floats into my ears.

I squint my eyes. I blink trying to clear my vision. I turn to the officer. He's blurry too. I keep blinking. What's wrong with my vision? After what feels like forever the man comes into focus. He has a concerned look on his face.

"What?" I ask, but my lips stick together. I try to wet them, but there isn't any saliva in my mouth.

"I asked if you were here to visit her." He answers my question with a kind smile.

"Mmm, yes." I nod.

"Are you okay?" He asks. I'm starting to hate that question.

"I'm fine." I lick my lips again. This time it works a little better.

"Are you family? Have you signed in with the nurses station?"

"What's with all the questions?" I answer his questions with a question of my own. I may be a little too defensive, but fuck it.

"Nothing. I just want to make sure I know who is coming and going from the room. Protocol and stuff like that. I don't mean any offense."

"Offense taken. What if I told you she is my sister?" I raise a challenging eyebrow at Mr. Junior Officer here. His name tag says Olsen. He looks like he just graduated from high school, never mind the police academy.

"I wouldn't believe you. I'd need proof." He rises to my challenge. Boy's got balls.

I point a threatening finger in the young man's face just for shits and giggles. "Listen here bucko. I'm going in that room whether you like it or not. Let's just say, for right now, that I am a dear friend of that patient in there. If you're worried about some psycho, that's not me. I don't have any weapons. You can search me if you want, but you won't find anything."

"Whatever." He drops the challenge and takes a step away from me. "Just don't cause any trouble." He waves me off.

"I won't, Officer Olsen." I smirk at him before turning to the door.

I push on the handle and the lock clicks and the door opens a little. The hospital room is dimly lit. The blinds are drawn and the light is off over the bed. The only light is the one by the door and it lights up that half of the room. I push the door open halfway and step into the doorframe.

That's when I see her. Brittany. She's lying on the bed perfectly still. The white hospital issue blanket covers her up to her shoulders. The same machines that were hooked up to her yesterday are still there today. As I take a step into the room I can hear them working. The noise that the ventilator makes as it breathes for Brittany. The heart monitor machine that beeps with Brittany's heartbeat. The rest of the room is silent. The only noises come from the machines.

I step further into the room so I can close the door behind me. The door clicks shut and everything seems so much more real now that I am sealed into the room. Before, when I was at a distance and it felt like it was an out of body experience or a bad dream. Now, it feels real. This is really happening. Brittany is really laying in this hospital bed. I am really standing in her hospital room.

Slowly, and as silently as possible, I cross the room until I am standing next to her bed. She looks so pale, so fragile, so broken. I don't know anything about her condition or what happened after she was taken out of Danny's house. All I know is that she came here and was in surgery all night. There was a complication, but I don't know what that means. Obviously, she is unconscious. Does that means she's in a coma?

I look around, unsure of what to do. I spot a chair in the corner of the room and go over to it. I drag the chair so that it's next to Brittany's bed, on her right side. When I take a seat I look over her again. Nothing's changed. Not that I expected it to. She's still the same. I let out a sigh and rest my head against the bed. Except, it's not the mattress my forehead lands on. It's Brittany's arm. I sit back and look down at the spot where my forehead just was, a thought comes to me.

I lean forward on the edge of the chair. I lift the side of the blanket up off of the bed and peek underneath. Brittany's naked white arm it right there. I drop the blanket as soon as I see it. I look up to Brittany's face to see her reaction. There is none. I look back to the blanket where her arm is. I lift the blanket up again. This time I gentle take the blanket and tuck it around her hand so that Brittany's right hand is exposed. I look to her face again to see if it's changed. It hasn't. I don't know why I think it would. I wrap my hands around hers, one on top and one underneath. I rub my thumb over the skin of the back of her hand. Brittany's hands are soft and surprisingly warm.

I stroke my thumb over her skin repeatedly and watch her face for any reaction. "Hey, Britt. It's me." I say in a soft voice. I don't clarify who the me is, but it doesn't matter. I don't know if she can hear me or not. I don't want our fight from the other day to be the last thing either of us remember. It was a stupid fight anyway.

"I don't know if you can here me, but I want to say I am sorry about that fight we had the other day. It was stupid and I shouldn't have pushed you for answers. It's your life, you can live it however you want. I just- I-" My voice cracks and as soon as it does the tears come. I take my hand, that was under Brittany's, and wipe the tears away from my eyes.

"I wish this never happened. I wish you weren't in here. Britt-" I suck up the snot that's trying to run out of my nose. "You shouldn't be in here. You should be laughing and smiling that smile of yours that I love so much. You should be telling me silly things and making me laugh along with you. I'm sorry that you are in here." I rest my forehead against my hand, on top of hers.

"I'm sorry, Britt. I should have stopped the raid. I should have stopped them from shooting you. God, I'm so sorry. Please, be okay. You have to wake up. You have to be okay. I don't think I could live with myself if you aren't. Britt, I love you. I should have said it sooner. I should have said it when I felt it. I should have told you I loved you when you told me. I love you, Britt-Britt. Please be okay."

I'm a blubbering mess, but that's okay because I finally said what I needed to say. I just hope that it's not too late.

* * *

I hear a noise. I open my eyes, but all I see is the black of my hair and the white of something else. My eyelashes stick together. My back aches too. I wiggle around to get a feel of the situation.

"Hello."

I snap back. My eyes wide in the direction of the voice. A man in a white lab coat stand at the end of a bed. My eyes scan the room. Right, the hospital.

"That didn't look like a very comfortable sleeping position." The man comments and nods his head.

I look to wear he nodded. The bed. Brittany. Her hand is exposed still and mine rests on top of it. I must have fallen asleep. "Whatever." I shrug. I turn back to face the man and get a better look at him. He has a tight-lipped smile on his face. His hands are in his coat pockets. He's a tall man with wave brown hair. Handsome. "Are you a doctor?" As the words leave my lips I know how stupid they sound.

"Yes. I'm Doctor Buchanan. I'm Brittany's doctor." He holds out his hand for me to shake. I take his hand in mine. "And you are?" He cocks his head to the side.

"I- uh- look, I know I'm not family and I shouldn't be in here. Brittany is-" I'm trying to decided what to tell the doctor. What's the lesser of two evils? "-is a good friend of mine."

"I see. Well, you are in luck Miss-?"

"Garcia. Eva Garcia." I supply. This is getting bad. I don't know how much longer I can keep this charade going.

"Ms. Garcia, I'm not one of those guys that follows all the rules. I think friends should be aloud to visit in the ICU, even if the patient is unconscious. Don't worry, I won't tattle on you." The doctor smiles reassuringly at me.

I give him my best smile. It's probably not great. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He nods.

"What's wrong with her? I mean, why isn't she awake? Is she in a coma?"

He chuckles. "I believe that's more than one something, Ms. Garcia." I shrug. He continues. "Brittany is in a coma. There was a lot of trauma to her body and she lost a lot of blood. That's probably why she hasn't woken up yet. Brittany is on a ventilator to breathe for her. As she was shot in the chest, the bullet ripped through her left lung. We had to go in there and repair it. Luckily, it was repairable."

"The nurse at reception said there was a complication during surgery."

"Yes. There was." The doctor nods. "Your friend is a lucky one indeed. Her heart stopped while we were in there. Luckily, it was after I had repaired her lung and was just looking around for other injuries. We restarted her heart within a few seconds and everything went good after that. But, like I said, she's been through a lot of trauma."

I know I'm staring at him. Eyes wide, mouth hanging open, kind of staring.

"I expect Brittany to make a full recovery, eventually. She will most likely have to go through therapy, but she's young and seems strong. She should conquer therapy, no problem. We just gotta get her to wake up now." The doctor grabs onto one of Brittany's feet and wiggles it back and forth. "Maybe you could ask her real nice to wake up for us. It's good to have family come and visit. Patients with more visitors wake up sooner."

I look over Brittany's still body again.

"Do you have anymore questions, Ms. Garcia?"

"No. Thank you, Doctor."

"You're very welcome. I hope to see you around these parts again. I have to go now. Have a good day, Ms. Garcia."

"Thanks." I mumble. My eyes glued to Brittany's face. I hear the doctor leave the room, but don't bother to even look to see him leave.

If only I could ask Brittany to wake up and she just would. I'm not naïve, I know it's not that simple. She has to be ready to wake up. She isn't Sleeping Beauty. One kiss won't wake her up. But, there has to also be some truth to Doctor Buchanan's words. More visitors means possibly waking sooner.

Brittany doesn't have any family. She doesn't really have any friends, either. That makes my decision a whole lot easier.

I stand up from the chair. My back cracks as I stretch it out. Bending at the waist, I lift her hand off the bed a few inches, I don't want to disturb her too much. I place a kiss to the back of her hand before setting it back down gently and covering it with the blanket so it doesn't get cold. I step closer to where her head rests. "I'll come see you tomorrow, Britt. I'll be here everyday until you wake up. I love you, Brittany." I lean over the railing on the bed and press my lips to her forehead. I hold them there for a few second before I pull back. There are tears in the corners of my eyes again. I wipe at them with my hands. "Bye, Britt. I'll be back tomorrow. I promise." I turn and leave before it becomes too difficult to.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After I left the hospital I thought about taking a cab back to my undercover apartment, but decided against it. Instead, I'm walking. It's a long, cold walk, but I need it right now. After seeing Brittany in that hospital bed I need something to ground myself. A brisk long walk is gonna have to be that.

It was scary seeing Brittany unconscious in that hospital bed. It kills me that she's in that bed because of me. Not me directly, but the investigation led to Brittany getting shot. I'm a major part of that investigation, and right now, I feel like I'm the one to blame. I know it's not rational, but I can't help it.

I keep thinking about what if's. What if a could go back and change this or that? What if I could do things differently? What if I had gotten Brittany out of the house before the raid somehow? I know you can't change the past, but I wish I could.

That's the worst part. There's nothing I can do about it. There's nothing I can do to help. There's nothing that I can change. I can only hope and pray, right now, that Brittany will wake up and that I won't regret this undercover operation for the rest of my life.

The walk gets colder the closer to my apartment that I get. The wind is super cold and my exposed ears are freezing. I wish I had a hat like the one that Brittany put on my head when we snuck out of Danny's house. I should listen to Brittany more. If so, I wouldn't have cold ears right now.

It's only two more blocks before I get to the apartment building. I trudge up the stairs and unlock the door of my apartment. When I step inside it's like I've entered yet another world. It's dark and damp, small and rundown. The apartment has always been that way, but it's like I'm just noticing it now. The place has always been small, but for some reason, it feels smaller today. I survey the area. The little kitchenette, the bed, the tv on the stand, the bathroom, that's all there is. There are a few items that belong to me, but all I really own in the room are my clothes, the tv, and a few personal items. That makes what I'm about to do really easy.

I go to the tiny closet that is next to the bed and pull out all the clothes that are in there. I throw them on the bed. Next, I march into the kitchen and pull the box of cereal from on top of the fridge. There are a few cans of food on the counter, next to the sink, that I take along with the cereal and put them on the bed too. I kneel down and get the two heavy duty moving boxes that are under the bed from when I moved in.

With the boxes on the bed, I start folding all the clothes, which isn't really that much. A handful of t-shirts, two long sleeve shirts, two sweatshirts and two pairs of jeans make up my whole wardrobe - that and a weeks worth of underwear. I fold all the clothes and put them in one box. The other box is for everything else, the food, an alarm clock, and bathroom accessories.

In the bathroom I get the stuff out of the cabinet first and throw that in the box. I pull the door back to get the single towel that I have off the hook on the back. Something catches my eye before I can get to the towel. I take a step back in shock. On the floor, crumpled up in a wad, in the corner, behind the door, is the shirt that I was wearing when it happened. It lays there still covered in blood. I forgot it was there. I forgot. I forgot. I forgot.

I take a deep breath and yank the towel off the hook and pick the shirt up with the towel. I wrap the shirt in the towel so that I can't see it and shove it in the box. I look around the tiny bathroom to see if there's anything else.

The two boxes are set next to the door, ready to go. Tomorrow morning I will leave this place and never come back. I will have someone from the department come and get the bed. I don't care what they do with it. They can throw it away. I have no use for another bed. I have a bed at my apartment. They can keep it for all I care. I'll have my two boxes of belongs and my small television. That's it.

This will all be done with and I can move on. I'm not very excited about going back to my old apartment, but Puck told me that I had to get out of this one in the next two days. No sense in delaying that. Everything is packed up and ready to move. The physical stuff is done, I'll have to deal with the emotional stuff at some other point.

* * *

I wake up early the next morning. Early enough to gather my things, get a cab, load everything in, and go over to my apartment before work.

I take one last look around the studio apartment that I've called home for the last several months. With a heavy sigh, I shut and lock the door. I trudge down the stairs one last time and outside to the waiting taxi cab. All my belongs are loaded up inside. I hop inside and tell the driver the address. We drive through the city in the early morning light. The sun hasn't even risen yet, but the sky is starting to lighten.

It's weird leaving this place and going to another apartment, another life. I feel lost and confused. I have two or three lives going at once right now. There's Eva, the drug dealer, who is slowly dying and disappearing. There is Detective Santana Lopez, who is reemerging and trying to brush the dust off. And then there's regular Santana. The girl who is lost somewhere in between all worlds. The girl dealing with falling in love with another and nearly losing that person. I feel like I don't know where I fit in anymore.

The cab pulls up to the curb. I stare out the window at the big brick apartment building that I haven't been to in months. It still looks the same as the last time I saw it. It's nothing special. A one bedroom apartment on a detective's salary. It's a lot bigger and nicer than my undercover studio apartment. For that I am grateful. This apartment is more like a home. There are pictures of family and friends hanging on the walls. There is the furniture and bedroom set that I bought. There is everything that it needs to make me feel at home. But, for some reason, I don't feel like I just came home. Something's off.

I get out of the cab and lug one box up to the front door. This apartment building has far better security. The main door to the building is locked and you have to have a key to get in. I find my keys and open up the door, setting the box inside, before going back to retrieve the rest of my stuff and pay the cabbie.

It takes a few minutes to lug everything upstairs. I live on the second floor and there's no elevator- my buildings not that nice. It takes me a minute to remember which key opens my apartment door. When I find it on my key ring, I stick it in the lock and turn. The door pushes open and the smell hits me first. A hint of lavender wafts through the door. I have a lavender scented air fresheners in the living room area.

I kick the two boxes of stuff into the apartment, and then pick the tv up off the floor, and cross the threshold with it in my arms. It looks the same as the last time I was here. I walk over to the kitchen and set the tv down on the counter. I go back to the door and move the boxes so I can shut the door.

Once the door is shut, I spin around and look at the room. I walk through the apartment checking it out. The bedroom looks the same and so does the bathroom. Everything seems to be okay.

With that I leave. I have to get to work.

* * *

Work is nothing but a bitch. I feel so out of place and like I don't know what I'm doing. Luckily, I have Puck. He takes charge of most thing and I just follow along. This transition back to detective from being undercover is gonna be harder than I thought.

I've been undercover a few times before but never for as long as this time. This undercover operation I was under for almost three months. That's a long time. Now, I need to go back to being a detective. I want to say it's like riding a bike and that it comes back naturally, but not all of it does. Some things come back right away, like procedures and the order of things, but I've been struggling with more mental issue, like what my mindset should be in a certain situation.

I'm reading the reports of the search warrants for Danny's house and the inventory of everything they found and logged into evidence when Puck comes by.

"You ready to go down to the jail?"

I look up from the paperwork. "We're doing that now?"

"Yep. I'll even buy you dinner afterwards. It's a sweet-ass deal." Puck says and even throws a wink in for good measure.

"Yeah, well, just give me a minute. I'll meet you at the car."

"Sure thing, Lopez." Puck claps me on the back and takes off in the direction of the police station parking area. I, on the other hand, need a couple of minutes to refocus. I need to get my head in the game and I need to try and focus on seeing Karofsky and Danny again. This time will be under different circumstances than any previous encounter I've had with them.

I collect all the paper on my desk and put them in the appropriate folders. After everything is in order I get up and take my leather jacket off the back of my chair- that's something that hasn't changed- and put it on. My wardrobe has changed slightly. Instead of jeans and t-shirt, I am back to wearing more of what I call work clothes. We are detectives, so we don't have to wear a uniform, but I still like to dress up a little for work. Nothing major, just a button down shirt and a pair of black jeans or dress pants, but I always have my trusty leather jacket with me.

I walk through the precinct and out into the outdoors. I can see Puck sitting in the drivers seat of his patrol car. He's head is back against the headrest as I approach and I would bet money that he is either asleep or as he says 'resting his eyes'. I pull the passenger's side door open and Puck jolts forward in his seat.

"Hey, ready?" He asks looking around like he missed something.

"Yep. Were you sleeping?" I ask already knowing the answer.

"Nope. Just resting my eyes." He fires up the car and we're off.

* * *

Puck told me that he's gonna start first and then bring me into the interrogation room to reveal my true identity.

I'm currently trying to focus on the upcoming interrogation and how is it that I'm going to reveal myself. The consequences of that and the reaction that the men are going to have. I'm sure neither of them will be happy. I also have to think about the sort of questions that I want to ask both men. Then there's the issue of Puck. What he will and won't let me get away with in the interrogation room.

"Okay, Lopez. Time to shine." Puck appears in the door to the interrogation room.

I swallow thickly and stand up from my chair. Karofsky's up first. I walk slowly over to Puck, thinking about the big man that I got to know as Danny's right hand. The guy, the muscle, the thug. The guy who usually distributed the drugs. The hulk of a man who usually, but not always, greeted me at the front door. He never said much, but I know that he is very knowledgeable about the on goings of Danny's drug ring.

"Okay, he's already in there. I spoke with him and his lawyer some, not that I got a lot out of the man. We're gonna show him a thing or two right now. Let's show Mr. Karofsky who you really are." Puck claps a hand on my back. "Ohh, this is gonna be soo good." He sounds like an excited little boy.

"I'll go in, sit down, and then call you in. Okay?"

"Yeah." I nod for emphasis. Puck slips into the interrogation room. My heart rate has picked up, the nerves have set in. I take a few deep breaths to try and come down a little. It doesn't work. I hear a muffled 'come on in' through the door.

My hand turns the knob and I slowly push the door open. He is sitting across the table, facing me, as I enter. I see the back of Puck's shaved head before my eyes shift back to Karofsky. At first he just looks confused. He turns to his right to his lawyer and whispers something in his ear. When Dave Karofsky shifts back to look at me, his face changes from one of confusion to one of shock and disbelief.

If I were in a different mind set I might take satisfaction in his startled look.

"Hello, Karofsky." I say with an evil smirk. I shut the door, walk over, and take a seat next to Puck. Karofsky doesn't say anything back to me. He just watches my every move. Heck, I don't blame him. He's probably confused as hell.

"Now Mr. Karofsky I believe you know my partner here." Puck takes over from here. "Though, you might know her as Eva and not as Detective Santana Lopez of the New York City Police Department."

Karofsky grunts.

"See, your pal _Eva _here has been working undercover to get the goods on you and Danny and his whole crew. If I do say so myself she has done a mighty fine job. So well, actually, that we have enough charges to send you away for a long time." Puck leans into the table, folds his hands together, set them on the table between himself and Karofsky, and grins wickedly. "That is unless you would like to cooperate with our investigation. You aren't exactly a talker. I understand that, but you have to know something that _Eva _doesn't that is pertinent to our case. If you can supply us with something that we don't already have on Danny then we can talk deal with you and your lawyer."

Karofsky turns to his lawyer to look for counsel. The lawyer, whose name I don't know, simply shrugs his shoulders. At least the lawyer knows that his client is more or less screwed. "You might as well tell them what you know. It's really your only chance of a shortened sentence. I've seen their report so far, it doesn't look good." The lawyer advises his client aloud without bothering to whisper so Puck and I can't hear him.

Karofsky grunts and slumps in his chair in defeat. "Fine. I'll tell you my story."

I feel a little lighter now. Relief that we got this guy and with my info on Danny and any additional info that Karofsky will give us, it's gonna be a long time before either of them see the light of day.

"But, first-" Karofsky speaks up once again. His eyes slide from Puck over to me. "-I want a word with Ev- Detective Lopez."

"No." Puck shoots him down right away.

"Hold on, Puckerman." I hold a hand up to Puck. Telling him _not so fast_ with my hand. "I want to hear this." If Karofsky has something to say to me, I definitely want to hear it, no matter what it might be. "Go ahead." I motion for Karofsky to speak.

"I just wanted to say well played. You were very convincing. I never once thought that you were anything other than a young woman in a tough spot, selling drugs to make some money. I guess that's why I'm sitting here right now. Detective Lopez, you were a very believable drug dealer. You had me convinced."

"Really?" Puck groans.

"Really. That's it." Karofsky nods.

"Fine. I've had enough of you. I will get someone in here to recorder your statements. Let's go." Puck stands from his chair in a huff. I do the same and follow him out of the interrogation room.

"What the hell? Why you so pissy?" I ask as soon as the door shuts behind me. "What the fuck was that? You act like Karofsky owed you something."

"It's nothing." Puck shrugs it off. "I just didn't want him talking to you like that."

I can't believe him. "Like what? That he basically praised my work. Are you jealous?"

"No. Shut up. Listen, it's just- it's fine. I'm over it already. He just thinks he's the big dog and I just want to knock him down a few pegs." Puck turns and walks away from me.

I don't think that's the case at all. Karofsky might have thought that he was at the top when he was at Danny's and second in charge. But, seeing the man sitting there, and knowing him personally a little, I can tell that's not what Karofsky thinks. He basically said so. He told me that I had him. I fooled him like I fooled everybody else. He said as much. I don't know what Puck's problem with Karofsky is, but that's not it.

* * *

Puck ran off after we talked with Karofsky. I'm hoping he went to cool off. He needs it. I've seen Puck blow up at suspects a few times, so it's not like it's a surprise or anything. I'm sure he's just all wrapped up in the case and it got to be too much. It happens to everybody eventually if you work as a detective long enough.

I'm sitting in the little room that views the interrogation room waiting for whatever's gonna happen next. What happens next is that the door flies open and Puck walks in. He spot me sitting in the corner and approaches. He looks kinda sad.

"I'm sorry about before. I think Dave Karofsky just got under my skin a little too much. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

No, not sad, apologetic. "It's fine. I get it."

"Good. Thanks. Karofsky's done. I was just gonna bring Danny in and ask him some more questions. You willin' to join me?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't miss it for anything."

"Okay, give me fifteen minutes and then come a knockin'." He smiles over at me. "I'll try to be better behaved this time around." He jokes and I actually smile. It's one of the few real smiles I've been able to produce in recent days.

I roll my eyes. Puck's so dumb sometimes. "Okay."

I get up out of my chair as they bring Danny into the interrogation room in handcuffs. It's a strange site. He sits down in his chair across from Puck. There should be a lawyer with him, but there isn't. It's pretty stupid to not have your lawyer present when speaking with the cops. That's his decision though.

It's only been a few days since I've seen Danny and Karofsky, anyone from that whole world, for that matter, but it seems like so much longer ago then that. The house was raided on Saturday night and today is Tuesday, so less than four days, but it seem like a different lifetime ago. I guess in a sense, it was.

Puck's talking with Danny. I could turn on the intercom and hear what they are saying, but I don't want anything they are discussing now to influence whatever it is I'm gonna say to Danny.

Fifteen minutes pass of them talking before I knock on the interrogation room door, then turn the knob and enter. Much like Karofsky, the look on Danny's face is priceless. A mixture of shock, confusion, and disbelief all rolled into one. It's great. Almost great enough to make my day.

"What is she doing here? Shouldn't she be locked up?" Danny asks, clearly in denial.

"No. Why would I lock up a NYPD Detective?" Puck counters.

"A what? A CI maybe, but not a detective." Danny argues.

"Nope." Puck looks over at me as I take a seat next to him. "Not an informant. Detective Lopez was undercover. We needed to get enough information on you and this was one of only ways and the easiest way to do it."

I sit down and fold my hands on the table in front of me. "It's lovely to see you again, Danny."

"Whatever. Let's get this over with. What do you want?" Danny brushes aside any politeness.

"As you know, we have you an drug charges." Puck starts. He opens the folder that's on the table in front of him. "But, what you might not know is, that we plan on charging you with murder too." Puck slides a photo across the table towards Danny. The drug boss takes one quick look at the photo and turns his head away.

"Get that out of my sight." Danny grumbles.

Puck takes the photo back and puts it in the folder before closing it again. "I take it you haven't seen that before."

"No." Danny answers quickly.

"My girl, Lopez here, got the information that we needed and we got a warrant to search, not only your place, but the residence of, one, Rory Flanagan."

I didn't know that. Puck didn't tell me that they searched Rory's home.

"We didn't find anything too damning, but your boy Rory squealed louder than a pig when we asked him about his affiliation with you." Puck informs Danny.

Danny ducks his head at this information.

"That sums up most of it. Detective Lopez, do you have anything else to add?" Puck and I share a look. I think for a second on what I would want to say, if anything. I have half a mind to rub it in that I worked my way into his crew without him suspecting a thing.

"Well, Danny, it looks like your little business is gonna be closed now. I would rub it in your face, but that wouldn't be very nice of me." There's an edge to my voice that I haven't had for a long time. "I'm sure you don't care too much about that, but I'm sure all the addicts you were supplying are freaking out right about now. I came into your house, did my job, and now you will be going away for a long time, maybe even the rest of your life. We were after you the whole time. You were suspect numero uno and we got you. It was a success. We achieved our goal." I sit up straight, proud, in my chair.

"Hey, no one was complaining. My business was a success and that's all I ever wanted. I did my business, and it ran smoothly, people came and went. I had a few trustworthy people that I couldn't do without. They did most of the hard work for me. Dave Karofsky, Sugar Motta, the Irish kid, Rory. They did anything for me. And I mean anything. Oh, then there's Brittany. That girl is like my own personal little housewife, except for the wife part. I could never fuck her. That was my best friends kid. But damn, that girl does everything around the house. Where is she? How come see hasn't come to see me yet? Or is she in police custody too?"

"She's in custody." Puck says simply. Maybe too simply for my liking.

"That explains a lot." Danny huffs.

"That doesn't even begin to explain it." I can't hold my tongue any longer. "The words just start slipping out of my mouth. "That doesn't explain anything. You know nothing." I spit at Danny. My legs propel me to stand. "How could you let her live that life? She was just a girl when you took her in. She doesn't deserve to have to do things for you. She deserves so much better, so much more. You took her whole life and squandered it down to a few menial tasks." I'm yelling now.

"How would you know? You're just the little slut that's been banging her. How's that goin' now. I bet she fucking hates your guts now that she's found out what a fraud you are."

"Fuck you." I lung across the table at Danny, my hands swinging. I'm stopped, though, before I can reach him and do any damage. Puck's arms wrap around my waist and stop me from doing something stupid and causing physical harm to the man across the table from me.

Danny sits back in his chair, laughing evilly.

"You fucking don't know anything. I love her."

That causes him to laugh harder. "And how's that gonna work out?" Danny asks through his laugh.

"Okay, that's enough." Puck says and starts dragging me out of the room backwards.

"I'll make it work. We'll make it work." I yell back at Danny, kicking and screaming as Puck pulls me from the room.

"You need to calm down." Puck throws me in a chair in the tiny room between the interrogation room and hallway of the jail. He goes back and shuts the door to the interrogation room. I get up from the chair as soon as Puck moves to the door. I start pacing back and forth in the tiny room.

"You don't know that guy. He's so slimy. He knows just the right thing to say to hit a person where it hurts the most."

Puck turns back to face me. He's standing in front of the interrogation room door with his arms crosses over his chest in a defensive position. He probably thinks I'll make a move for the door. I just might.

"Yeah. I kinda got that." Puck says dully. "But, you gotta calm down, Lopez. I can't let you back in there with him."

"Whatever. I don't want to see that bastard ever again. The shit he said about me, about Brittany. You know that's not true, right. I love Brittany." With those three words the fight leaves my body. I pace over to the chair and slump down in it.

"I know Santana. You wouldn't jeopardize the investigation for just a fuck. Pardon my French. I know Brittany means more to you than that. I think your actions, just now, proved that."

"Yeah." I sniffle. I can't cry right now, but that's what's about to happen. "I'm sorry about that. I lost my cool. I'm having a hard time readjusting to a normal schedule and regular work and all of it really. I can't get my head in the right place." It's funny Puck lost it with Karofsky and I lost it with Danny. Aren't we a pair?

The tears are silently seeping from my eyes. I bow my head so Puck won't see me crying, but I know that he already has seen or heard.

"It's okay. I understand." He comes over and places a hand on my shoulder. His strong man hand rubs somewhat gentle circle in the upper part of my back. "I know it isn't easy. The hardest part of going undercover is coming back out. Give it some time. If things don't improve in a couple of weeks we will get you some professional help."

"Thanks, Puck." I say and suck the snot back up into my nose. He truly is a good friend and a great detective. He knows what I'm going through and knows what to do to help.

"No problem. How 'bout that meal that I promised?" He asks in an overly cheery voice, it's almost disgusting how more cheer he's throws into it.

I shake my head both at Puck and at his question. "Actually, I'll have to take a rain check. I have a promise of my own to keep." I look at him, hoping he understands without me having to explain it.

Puck presses his lips tightly together and nods. "Ah, going to see your girl. I'm glad you took my advice."

"Yeah." Is all I can say.

"Well, I'll just have to dine alone. No biggie, I've been doing it for the past few months. But, you don't worry about little old Puck. I've got me handled. You, Lopez, have bigger fish to fry, so to speak. Go spend time with your lady friend. I will see you tomorrow." He pats me on the back and takes a few steps away.

I stand up. "Thanks, Puck."

He tilts his head to the side, looking like a confused dog. "For what?"

"For being you. For being a friend." I shrug and rub at the back of my neck.

"Get over here." Puck holds his arms open. "Let's hug it out."

I chuckle and shake my head, but step into his arms. Puck wraps his big arms around me in a tight, comfortable hug. It feels good. Not as good as one of Brittany's hugs, but I can't have one of those right now, so this will have to do.

"Okay. Let's get out of here." I say when I'm ready for the hug to be over. I feel a little better after Puck releases me. I take a deep breath. "Have a good evening, Noah."

* * *

I never thought I would say this, but after a long day of paperwork and interrogations, I'm happy to be in the hospital. It's late. The halls up to her room are quiet. I had half a mind to go straight home after work and just crash. I'm exhausted, but I couldn't because I made a promise to Brittany. So I took a cab from the jail to the hospital. I promised I would be here today. I made a promise to myself that I would visit everyday until she wakes up. I fully intend to honor that promise.

The elevator doors open up and the nurses station appears. The two nurses that are working there look up at me. I smile at them as I step out of the elevator and make a right turn. There is an officer down the hall. He sits on a chair. I suppose it's difficult to stand in the same place all day. It's not like Brittany is going anywhere anytime soon. It's actually rather ridiculous that Puck has an officer guarding her door. As I approach he looks up from a magazine he was reading.

"Thrilling day?" I ask with a hint of a smile.

"I wish." The officer says with a hint of annoyance to his voice. "I've been sitting here for-" He pauses and looks down at his wristwatch. "-almost six hours. It's very boring. Nothings happened except for nurses and doctors coming and going. I don't even think she's awake. I don't understand why I have to sit here."

"Because it's your job." I tell him.

He looks at me with squinted brow. "Right. And who are you?"

"I'm Detective Santana Lopez." I tell him honestly. It's still a little strange to use my real name again. I flash the young police officer my badge. "And I going in to visit with Ms. Pierce."

I turn away from the man and enter the hospital room. It's in a similar state as it was yesterday. The lights are dimmed, the curtains of the window are drawn, the body in the bed lies motionless as before. The machines produce the only noise for the entire room. It's a little eerie.

Over at the bed, I look over Brittany's body. Everything seems the same with her. I go over to the chair in the corner of the room and pull it over next to Brittany's hospital bed and take a seat. I lift the blanket and find Brittany's hand. I wrap her hand in mine, stroking over the back of it with my thumb. It's more of a comfort for me than I think it is for her. I lean forward in my seat and watch as Brittany's chest rises and falls with the breathing of the ventilator.

"Hey, Britt." I start in a whisper. "I'm back as promised. I don't know what to say, but I think all start with telling you about my day. I saw Danny and Karofsky day. You don't know this yet, but they are both in police custody. They're not too happy about it. Today was long and trying. I thought about you often. Actually, you are never very far from my thoughts. I'll see something or hear something that will remind me of you. It's hard sometimes, but I think I'm managing so far. I really miss you, as dumb as that sounds. You're right here and I can see you, but it's not the same. I can't hear your voice or see that beautiful smile of yours. I love that smile. I don't know what I'm gonna do. You mean so much to me and it's killing me that you are in this hospital bed. I wish I could do something to help you wake up sooner or get out of the hospital altogether."

Frustrated, I slump back in my chair. I don't know what to do or say. I feel like I don't know anything anymore. I do know that I am gonna sit with her as long as I can.

"Visiting hours are over." I jolt at a woman's voice.

I look over to the end of Brittany's bed to see a nurse reviewing her chart. I must have fallen asleep. I'm so exhausted that I can't even stay awake to be with Brittany.

"I came in here an hour ago and you were asleep. I figured I'd let you sleep a little while. It's nice of you to be here, but you fell asleep on the job." The nurse nods towards Brittany.

"Uh- um- thanks." I stutter out. I'm not sure what I should say.

"Yeah, but you have to leave." The nurse closes Brittany's chart and hooks it back on the end of the bed. There's no malice in the nurses voice. She's just stating the rules and telling me to follow them. "I'm gonna go now. I'll let you say your goodbyes, but I want you out after that."

"Okay."

With that the nurse leaves. I wait a few moments before I do similar to what I did yesterday. I squeeze Brittany's hand that I have in my grip, then raise it to my lips, and give it a gentle kiss. I stand up from my chair and push the chair back into the corner from where I got it. I go back to Brittany's bed. There are a few wrinkles in the blankets so I take my right hand and smooth them out. My fingers travel up over the material and up towards her face. With a sigh, I tuck Brittany's hair behind her ear. She's so beautiful even in a coma.

"Britt, I hate to leave, but I have to. Hospital rules. I think if they didn't have visiting hours I would spend the whole night sitting and sleeping in that chair over there. I would stay if I could." I chuckle dryly. "I'm already breaking the rules by not being a family member or whatever."

I bend over the side of the bed and plant a kiss to her forehead, then temple. "I love you. I'll be back tomorrow after I'm done with work. Wake up soon, okay? Bye, Britt." I swipe my thumb over her cheekbone and start sliding away from the bed.

It's so hard to pry myself away from her bedside, but I know that I have to. I need to follow the rules. I don't want to do anything to threaten my ability to visit, like being banned from the hospital or Brittany's room.

I leave the hospital to make the journey to my apartment. For a few seconds I almost forgot that I'm not going back to the undercover studio apartment. That leads me to take the subway to the nearest stop to my apartment. I don't want to go there. I know it will be weird. It won't feel right.

My theories are correct when I get home. I step inside and everything feels wrong. The apartment is too big. It feels too much like a home and not just a place to live. That would be good, but the problem is that it doesn't feel like _my _home. Tonight, I'll have to spend my first night here in months. An odd sensation runs through my body as I walk through the apartment. It's hard to describe. I almost feel like something is missing. I don't know what that would be, though. Everything here is the same as I left it. That should make me feel better, but it doesn't.

I walk into the bathroom and strip all of my clothes off and get in the shower. At least a hot shower should feel good and maybe help alleviate the weirdness that I'm feeling.

It's a temporary fix, though. As soon as I'm out of the shower and dressed in pajamas, I crawl into bed and the feeling comes back.

The bed is unfamiliar, the sheets don't smell the way I want them to, it's foreign. I don't know how long I lay in the bed without sleep, but it feels like hours. I toss and turn and try every position I can think of. I'm either not comfortable or I can't get my brain to stop thinking.

* * *

"Morning, Lopez. How was your evening?"

"Fine." I lie.

"Good. I've got some things to take care of this morning, but later on you wanna go down to the jail with me?"

"Sure." I say unenthusiastically.

"Something wrong?" Puck asks.

"No. I'm good. Just a little tired. I moved back into my apartment yesterday and I was up half the night rearranging and clean and stuff like that." Another mostly lie.

"Alright then. You're good here." Puck gestures to my desk with a flick of his fingers.

"Yep. All good." I tell him with what I hope is a convincing smile.

When I said I was tired, that wasn't a lie, but the reasons for that tiredness are all lies. I was up half the night, but because I simply couldn't sleep. I added it up and I probably only got between three and four hours of sleep last night. At some point I fell asleep, but it didn't last long. I must have woken up and fallen back to sleep half a dozen times.

"I'll be back later." Puck says over his shoulder as he walks over to his desk and gets his coat before leaving the precinct.

I focus back on the pile of paperwork that is on my desk. It probably stands two inches tall at the left side of my desk and I have to go through all of it by the end of the week. I hate paperwork, but it's a necessary evil of the job. I love every other aspect of my job, except for the paperwork.

A few hours pass before Puck returns. I've gotten a lot of the paperwork done. Most of it pertains to Danny and my undercover work.

"I'm back. You ready to go?" Puck comes up and leans against my desk, palms flat on the surface. He sure is right to the point today.

"Yeah, let's go. I'm sick of this damn paperwork." I stand and grab the leather coat off the back of my chair.

Puck chuckles. "I'm sure. Being undercover and coming back to a pile of paperwork isn't fun." We start walking side by side out to Puck car. "Anyway, I was thinking we could talk to Rory Flanagan today. I think he is gonna be crucial to getting Danny the longest sentence possible."

"He's the connection."

We get in the car and go over to the jail. Puck and I are sitting in the interrogation room when they bring Rory in. He sits down in his chair across from us with ease. The Irish man looks like he doesn't have a care in the world. He's calm and he almost looks bored to see us. Although I didn't have any one on one with Rory, he's gotta know who I am.

"Whada you guys want?" Rory speaks first.

"Hello, Rory. I'm Detective Puckerman and this is Detective Lopez. We are with the NYPD. We want to speak with you about your connections with your boss Danny. Do you recognize my partner here?"

Rory looks in my direction. His eyes roam over my face for a couple of seconds before he shakes his head. I almost can't believe it.

"I was in with Danny's crew. Eva Garcia." I supply.

"I know. You that girl that Danny introduced at Saturday's meetin'."

"That's right. I was undercover with his group. I'm the reason you're sitting in that chair right now."

"Well, damn." Rory smiles and shakes his head in disbelief.

Puck takes over from there. "We came by today to ask about your association with Danny and to possibly get information from you on him that we could use in our case against him."

"I see." Rory seems so much calmer and at ease than both Danny and Karofsky were when we talked to them.

"So, how did you and Danny get together?" Puck asks his first question. He opens the folder on the table in front of him.

"I came o'er from Ireland 'n' meet Danny at a family gatherin'. He's related somehow. Irish, ya know. A distant cousin, I think. I got in wit' him and he started askin' me ta do stuff for 'em."

"So, you are his hit man then?" Puck asks.

"I guess." Rory shrugs.

"Alright. I want you to tell us all about that, but I don't want to do that today. If you agree, in the future you will tell us what you know. We want to nail Danny for this and you are the key piece to that. I will talk to the DA and have some things drawn up and then we will return."

"Alright." Rory nods.

"This is very important Rory. You need to tell us everything you know." I add. I feel like I need to be a bigger part of this conversation. "We want Danny to go away for a long time so he can't hurt anyone else ever again. Too many innocent people have gotten hurt in all of his dealings and it needs to stop here and now. It needs to stop with you. You can help us."

"I said I'd help. Gosh." He scoffs.

I'm about to jump out of my seat and launch at him when Puck puts a hand on my shoulder. I may have gone too far and let my emotion get the better of me. I fold my arms over my chest in a huff.

"Thank you. We will be in touch." Puck says politely. He nods to the guard and he comes over and gets Rory and takes him out of the room. Puck turns to me. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Let's get out of here." I stand and move towards the door. I'm so sick of people asking me that question. I'm alive and breathing. I'm fine. I'm alright.

* * *

I stopped at a little corner flower shop on the way to the hospital. Brittany's room is so plain and boring. I thought a nice flower arraignment might perk up the room a little and maybe bring some positive energy along too. I picked out a nice grouping and walked from the flower shop to the hospital, it was only a few blocks.

The nurses at the fifth floor nurses station smiled nicely at me and commented on my pretty flowers. That made me feel even better about my decision to get them for Brittany. She deserves nice things, after all. I nod my greeting to the officer outside her door before stepping inside.

I make my way over to Brittany's bedside table and set the vase of flowers down. I pick and fluff at them nervously. "Hey, Britt. I brought you some flowers. I hope you like them. I didn't know what kind to get or which were your favorites, so I just got some of my favorites. It's a mixed arraignment, but I thought it looked like the nicest arrangement in the whole flower shop."

I get the chair from the corner. Every time that I leave it's by Brittany's bed, but every time I return it's back in the corner. I pull it up next to the bed, on Brittany's left side. I lift the blanket and find Brittany's hand. I hold her hand with my right. My left reaches for the remote that attached to the railing on Brittany's bed for the television that hangs up on the wall. I click it on and flip through the channels until I find a show that Brittany and I have watched before. It's actually a cartoon that I know Brittany really enjoys. It's not a bad show. I kinda like it too. I settle into my seat, stroking my thumb over the back of Brittany's hand, and watching the show with her.

I find that after about twenty minutes that I feel comfortable. I'm more comfortable then I've been in the last week. I realize that it's because of Brittany. Just being with her brings me great comfort. It's strange to think that I could be comfortable in a hospital, but in Brittany's presence it doesn't matter where I am. It's also a testament to our relationship that even with Brittany in a coma, I feel good. I haven't felt comfortable anywhere in the last days. Not at work, or at my apartment. Not in the interrogation room. Not anywhere but in this room. Brittany somehow brings me great comfort and I feel like I can let everything fall away and relax.

I'm so relaxed that I start to doze off during my stay with Brittany. It's the only time since the raid that I've easily fallen asleep. Again, I realize that it's when I'm with Brittany that I can sleep. Sleep definitely hasn't come easy for me in recent days. It's the worry and the drama effecting it and probably so much more. But, again it's Brittany who lets me let my guard down. It's the comfort thing again. I'm comfortable enough that I can find much needed sleep.

I want to sleep tonight, though, at home. So, I get up out of my chair and with a kiss to Brittany's forehead I leave her. I only intend to leave for a few minutes. Go for a walk. Maybe, I'll go down to the gift shop and scoop out what they have.

After a walk that involved riding the elevator up to the top and back to the ground floor, going to the gift shop and purchasing a stuffed duck, and a strolling into the cafeteria to see what they were serving for dinner, I'm back in Brittany's room. I set the duck stuffed animal next to the flowers that I got for her and return to my chair. The tv is still playing. The machine are still making there usually sounds. And Brittany is still unconscious.

I keep thinking that the next time I walk into her room she'll be awake. It hasn't been the case so far, but I'm not gonna give up hope.

I'm about halfway into the next episode of some show when a nurse walks in. "Hello, miss."

"Hi." I say, my eyes follow the woman as she crosses the room. The nurse picks up the clipboard off the end of Brittany's bed. She flips the top page up and looks at the one underneath it. She goes over to the machine and pushes some buttons, then writes on the paper on the clipboard.

She goes back to the foot of the bed. "It's nice to see you here with her. You've been here everyday, correct?"

"Yeah." I quirk an eyebrow at the nurse.

She smiles kindly. "You've been her only visitor during her whole stay. What's your name?"

There goes my calm, a panic rises within me. "Santana." I mumble.

"Well, Santana, it's very lovely of you to be here for her. I hope she wakes up soon and can find out what a wonderful person you are for spending every evening with her. Not everybody would be willing to give up large chunks of their time like you have. Ms. Pierce must really be special."

_You have no idea _is what I want to tell the nurse, but I can't say that. "Yeah. I don't have much going on anyway. I'm glad that I can be here." I tell her truthfully.

"Whatever it may be, it's nice of you to be here. I'm sure she'll wake up soon." The nurse tells me with an optimism that I don't know how she has. She has to see this scene everyday. People is all sorts of consciousness, death, dying. I would think that would make it hard to be an optimistic person, but this nurse seems to be just that.

"I sure hope so." I add my thoughts.

"I'll let you get back to your visit." The nurse says and spins on her heels to leave. I hear the door click shut and Brittany and I are alone in the room again.

It makes me sad that Brittany hasn't had any other visitors. She should have tons of friends. Someone who knows her well and would visit her in the hospital. She has led such a secluded life that it seems unfair.

At the same time I feel a small pride that I've been the person those been here day in and day out. I'm the one who knows Brittany best. I'm the one that's visiting her in her time of need. I'm the one that's here. That's what counts. That I'm here and, even though I can't do anything medically, I'm doing everything I can to help her to wake up. I want her to wake up so badly that it almost hurts.

"I miss you, Britt-Britt. So much." I whisper out quietly hoping she can somehow hear me. "Please wake up soon, okay?"

* * *

Thursday and Friday are much the same. Get up from a restless sleep, go to work, go to the hospital after work to see Brittany, and go home to try and sleep.

The goal was to sleep in this morning. But that whole sleep thing still isn't going very well. I slept about seven hours last night, but not consecutively. I'd sleep for a few hours and then wake up before taking time to get back to sleep for another few hours. It's a terrible cycle, but one I can't seem to break.

It was mid-morning when I got out of bed. I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My black eye is all gone, but the dark bags under my eyes seem to have taken up permanent residence there. I showered and got something to eat. Then I made a list of things that the apartment needed from the grocery store. I realized that the only thing I had to eat was breakfast cereal. That was the only thing I needed all week. I haven't spent much time here and I've been eating dinner at the hospital. I've only been in the apartment in the morning and to sleep, so I didn't need anything else until now.

The weekend brings along with it a large, more dauntingly task. To try and manage all of my free time and stay sane. I would spend every waking moment at the hospital if I could. I just don't think that I can do that. I've been there every night. I don't think I can spend the majority of two days there.

After shopping, I decided to tidy up the apartment to eat up some of my spare time. I would've done something else like watch tv or a movie, but I knew that my mind would just drift away from those things. It's was better if I get interactive, get my hands involved.

I did laundry and scrubbed the bathroom from ceiling to floor. I cleaned the inside of the oven and the refrigerator. I dusted the whole apartment and rearranged the furniture in the living room.

I did all of that before making my journey here, to the hospital, to see Brittany. I've been here for a few hours now. I got dinner from the hospital cafeteria and even brought Brittany's favorite pudding back to her. She wasn't awake, so I ended up eating the butterscotch pudding myself. I was disappointed to see that Brittany still wasn't awake so with a sigh and a shrug I ate the pudding. It's not my favorite, but it was still good.

We are now sitting and watching tv, well, I'm watching tv.

That's all it ends up being. Me sitting next to Brittany's bed, watching tv. I eventually leave at the end of visiting hours.

* * *

I managed to sleep a little longer this morning. I didn't have a solid reason that I needed to get up for, so I decided last night that I would attempt to get more sleep. There was less tossing and turning during the night. I slept for longer hours, but still woke up a handful of times. The sleep was slightly better and longer though.

I suppose that's a good thing.

I have a plan for the day. It's real simple. Shower. Have breakfast. And go to the hospital. Yesterday, I thought I didn't want to spend my whole weekend at the hospital, but today my thinking is different. I don't want to be anywhere else. I want to be there for so many reasons, but I want to be there as long as I can today. What if Brittany wakes up today? If I don't spend the whole day there and she wakes up while I'm gone I would be devastated.

It's much of the same, however.

Nothing has changed with Brittany's condition. The room is still the same. The tv on the wall, the bed, the chair, all the same. The flowers and the stuffed duck have been moved to another table opposite Brittany's hospital bed instead of on the little side table next to her bed. That makes me a little sad cuz I want Brittany to see them. It's dumb, though, cuz Brittany's not awake. She can't see them.

It's all so dumb. I keep coming here thinking something's gonna change, something's gonna be different. It never is. I keep thinking that I'm gonna walk in and Brittany's gonna be sitting up in bed laughing at something on the tv. I keep thinking that I will be able to talk to her and she will respond.

But nothing's different.

With that gloom swirling around in my head I get the chair and pull it up next to the bed. I search for Brittany's hand and grip onto it with my own. I turn the tv on and watch the same shows that Brittany and I had watched in her room at Danny's house. It's the only comfort I have right now, other than Brittany's presence. That's always calming. I settle in for a whole day spent in this room.

I almost can't believe I spent the whole day with Brittany, but then again where else would I be. We watched tv. I fell asleep for what I think was over an hour and got a terrible kink in my neck from sleeping all weirdly in the chair. The nurses came and went throughout the day, checking in on Brittany's stats or whatever you call them. Brittany's doctor came in once and talked with me for a little bit. I ate some hospital cafeteria food. It was surprisingly good. It's actually the only real, healthy meal I've had in over a week. It made me miss Brittany's homemade meals and how yummy they were.

Right now it's approaching nine o'clock on Sunday night. Visiting hours end at nine. Tomorrow starts another work week and I won't be able to come by to visit until my day is done at the police station. I'm not thrilled about it. I would rather spend time here with Brittany than be working, but I can't always do what I want.

Life is a series of choices between doing what you _want _to do and what you _have_ to do. Choosing to do what your heart tells you or to do the responsible thing. It's not fair and that's just the way it is.

Today has been a bummer. I was really hoping something would change today, that something would happen. Why today? I don't know.

"Well, Britt, I gotta go. I wish I could stay longer, but rules are rules." I bring her knuckles to my lips. "I love you. It's been over a week now. I just want you to wake up. I want to be able to tell you that in person. I want, no, I need you to hear the words as I speak them. If you can hear me now that's great cuz I love you, Brittany. But, I don't know if you can hear me or not. That's the worst part right now, not knowing." I sigh helplessly.

"Please, just wake up Brittany. I don't know how much longer I can do this. I will never give up on you, but everyday I become a little bit more exhausted. I can't sleep and all I do is think about you and what happened." I can feel the start of the tears coming.

"Please, Britt. Wake up so we can get through this, get passed it, and move on." A few tears leak out of my eyes and fall down onto the white bed sheets. I press my lips to Brittany's knuckles, trying to bite back the sob in my throat.

It doesn't work. I'm a blubbering mess in a matter of seconds. I release Brittany's hand and stand. I wipe at my wet cheeks with the backs of my hands. I go to the spot next to the bed where I can lean over and reach Brittany's face. My fingers stroke over her cheek, tucking hair behind her ear. I lean over and press a kiss to her temple and then one to her forehead. I hold my lips there for a few seconds. There are still tears falling from my eyes. I try not to cry on Brittany, but that's hard to do.

"I'm sorry, Britt." I chuckle as I pull my face away from hers. "I'm such a mess. I didn't mean to cry on you." I wipe the tears that I left off of her forehead. "I'll be back tomorrow after work. It will be a lot later in the day than today, but I'll try to get here as soon as I can. I love you." I stroke my thumb across the smooth skin of her forehead one more time before I go.


End file.
